Reading Cristal Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
by Nichole Monroe
Summary: girlHarry! Cris and the gang are brought to the room of Requirement by her future son. Will they be able to change the future or will things stay the same? Past comes to the present as well. Rating may change! Cris/Twins
1. Prologue

Prologue

Cristal Potter was in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place with her godfather Sirius Black and Professor Snape. Sirius and Snape were staring at each other with their wands raised when all of a sudden there was a bright light and they were in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. Cris pulled out her wand as well and they looked around the room. More people were showing up, she noticed the Weasley's, Hermione, Remus, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Luna, Neville, order members and some very familiar faces that Cris only seen in pictures.

"Cris get behind me." Sirius said as he stared at the familiar people. "Where are we and why have you brought us here?" asked the messy haired man as he pointed his own wand at Sirius. "We haven't brought you here, but I want to know how it is you're alive, and if you are who you truly say you are then how are you here." Sirius said. Cris looked up at her godfather and smiled.

"Siri, I didn't know you can be so threatening." Cris said with a smile. "Cris, he's can be very threatening, don't you remember the Shrieking Shack?" Ron asked. "Of course, but he was partially insane then, now he's just plain overprotective." Cris said. Cris turned back to watch the standoff between Sirius, Remus (now that he saw the people as well) and the familiar people on the other side of the room.

There were four of them, three boys and a girl. Now that Cris was looking at them she could tell that they were her parents and a younger Sirius and Remus. "But how, Siri, Remus, how is this possible?" she asked as she looked at her younger versions of her parents.

"If I may interrupt, I just received a letter that will explain what is going on." Dumbledore said. "Go on Professor," Remus said still glaring at the younger counterparts.

_Dear Occupants,_

_I know this may come as a shock but I am from the future. Cristal Potter is my mother and we felt that if we were able to change some of the events that will happen or have happen that mom would be a lot more happier than she is. If you look around you may have noticed that there are people from the past with you. They are form the past. I have gathered you here with the help of my god brother to read books about mom's years at Hogwarts. There are in her point of view, oh, by the way please refrain from cursing each other. And you can't give out detentions and take points away for past or future deeds. Hope this plan works for the better_

_Yours truly_

_James II_

"So, I name my son after my dad." Cris said quietly. "Well, we should probably start my introducing ourselves. I'll go first, I'm Albus Dumbledore,"

"Minerva McGonagall"

"Nymphadora Tonks, just call me Tonks."

"Kingsley Shacklebolt"

"Sirius Black"

"Remus Lupin"

"Cristal Potter"

"Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody"

"Hermione Granger"

"Ron Weasley"

"Ginny Weasley"

"Fred Weasley,"

"George Weasley"

"Percy Weasley"

"Charlie Weasley"

"Bill Weasley"

"Molly Weasley"

"Arthur Weasley"

"Luna Lovegood"

"Neville Longbottom"

"James Potter"

"Lily Potter

"Remus Lupin"

"Sirius Black."

"Now that we have introduced ourselves lets go ahead and get ourselves settled we will begin. I will start first and we will go around the circle.

**Cristal Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**Chapter One: The Girl Who Lived**

**Author's Note:**

**Possible relationships**

**Cris/Sirius**

**Cris/Fred**

**Cris/Charlie**

**Cris/George**

**Please Vote!**


	2. Chapter 1: The Girl Who Lived

"**Chapter One: Girl Who Lived" **Dumbledore read. Cris groaned from between Sirius and Remus (older Sirius and Remus will be there names and the younger ones will be there nicknames.). Sirius smiled fondly and Remus just shook his head.

"Who is that?" Padfoot and James asked. "Maybe if you are quiet then you will find out, Prongs and Padfoot." Moony said. They nodded and the twins looked up at the nicknames and dropped their mouths in shock.

"You knew who the Marauders were and you didn't tell us?" they asked shocked. "Sorry, we didn't think about it." Ron said sheepishly. "But that means that Cris is the sole heir of the Marauders!" Fred said. "She is?" James, Padfoot and Moony asked. "Uh yeah." Cris said. "I've always wondered what a girl James would look like, now we do." Padfoot said. "You know, I've never really thought of that, but she is." Sirius said with a smile.

"Can we get back to the book now?" Mad-Eye asked. Everyone nodded and Dumbledore continued.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"You're not welcome." The twins said. "Why does that name sound familiar?" Lily asked. They didn't notice that Cris looked down and shuddered.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

Cris held back a snort but it came out and everyone looked at her. "You'll find out later." she said. The past looked at her while everyone else snorted with her.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache.**

"Too bad he's married otherwise I would totally go for that." Ginny said with a smirk. "Sorry Gin, I might be able to get you a date with my cousin." Cris said. Then Ginny, Hermione and Cris busted out laughing leaving all the guys looking at them weird.

"They've gone mad." Ron whispered to Remus. He nodded his head and Dumbledore went back to reading.

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

Typical, Cris thought but at the same so did Snape.

**The Dursley's had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"You're kidding right?" Ron asked. "No, they think he's perfect." Cris spat out the last word bitterly. Snape then thought why Potter thought this way.

**The Dursley's had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

"What about the Potter's?" James, Sirius, Remus, Padfoot and Moony asked. "Cris?" Sirius asked. "You'll find out." Cris said sadly. She looked down and sighed thinking about what they think when they found out.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,**

"That's awful." Mrs. Weasley said. "You have no idea." Cris muttered under her breath. Nobody even heard her.

**because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish**

"James/Dad wasn't good for nothing!" Remus, Sirius and Cris yelled. James was smiling happy that his best friends and his future daughter stood up for him. "UnDursleyish isn't a word." Hermione and Moony said.

**as it was possible to be. The Dursley's shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursley's knew that the Potters had a small daughter, too, but they had never even seen her. This girl was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"I don't want my daughter mixing with you son anyway." James said. Cris sent a smile in his direction and James smiled back at his daughter.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,**

"Why would he pick his most boring tie?" Padfoot asked. "Because that's the way they are." Cris said. "Why do you know that?" James and Lily asked. "It'll come soon." Sirius said sadly.

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

"That's nothing new." Cris said. "Except now he doesn't need a high chair." Hermione said. "Exactly," Cris said. They shared a smile and Dumbledore continued reading.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

"It's that day." Sirius said. Cris looked down and wrapped her arms around her legs and leaned into Sirius. Sirius pulled her in for a hug as Dumbledore continued reading.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum**

"Man, he hasn't changed at all, has he." Cris said. Ron and Hermione smiled over at Cris.

**and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

**"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley**

Molly shook her head, "That isn't good parenting."

**as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. **

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map.**

"What were you doing there Professor?" Cris asked the transfiguration Professor. "You shall see Miss Potter." McGonagall said.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.**

"Unless it's an animagus." James, Padfoot and Moony said. They smiled at McGonagall and she smiled back at them.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

"Does he always think of drills Cris?" Hermione asked. "Pretty much." Cris replied.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together.**

"What is with everyone? We will be discovered by this rate." Lily said. "We almost were." McGonagall said.

**Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it. **

"The things muggles do to convince themselves that magic doesn't exist." Mr. Weasley said. He shook his head fondly and went back to listening.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

"He really does have a one track mind, doesn't he." Sirius said. "You have no idea." Cris said.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. **

"Why?" Ron asked. "Muggles aren't used to seeing owls. Owls are usually nocturnal and even then some muggles don't see them." Hermione and Lily said. They smiled at each other while the others chuckled.

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at night time. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"Sounds like a fun guy." Bill said. "You have no idea. This is his idea of fun." Cris said. "I feel sorry for you to have to live with these people." Sirius whispered to her. Cris looked up at him and hugged him.

"He could rival Mad-Eye with the whole yelling thing, huh Kings?" Tonks said. Kingsley laughed a little as Dumbledore went back to the book.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk**

"Wait, did he literally go for a walk?" Cris asked. "The world is ending!" the twins and Ron yelled. "Sensitive hearing here guys." Remus said. "Sorry Lupin." They said again. Moony looked over at his older self in a questioning look asking if they knew and when he nodded Moony's eyes went wide. Cris saw and looked over at Remus.

"Don't worry Moony, we know and we don't care." Cris said. "Really?" he asked. Everyone in the room agreed with Cris and Moony sighed in relief. "Wait what is everyone talking about?" Lily asked. "Um," Moony started and Remus took over. "I'm a werewolf, Lily." Remus said. "I knew it, it makes sense now." Lily said. "And you don't care?" Moony asked. "Nope, you didn't choose to be a werewolf, so why should I hate you for something you didn't do." Lily said. Moony smiled at her and they hugged and Dumbledore cleared his throat.

**across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"And now it makes sense. Wait, just one?" Cris said. Everyone else laughed.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. **

**This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, **

"That makes more sense." Cris said and laughed along with everyone else.

**that he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

**"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —" **

**" — yes, their daughter, Cris —"**

Cris looked ready to cry but hide it in her godfather's side. Sirius looked on the verge of tears as well but wrapped his arm around her again and pulled her closer.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"Yes!" the twins shouted. "It's just a saying." Hermione said while everyone else chuckled. "Way to ruin the fun Mione." Cris said. Hermione stuck her tongue out at Cris and Cris laughed.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. **

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, and seized his telephone,**

"How about you make a list of all the Muggle things that we come across and I will explain it to you." Hermione said. Mr. Weasley looked excited and thought up a quill, ink and parchment and started writing.

**and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid.**

"Wow, he's actually admitting it?" Cris asked. "That is the first step to recovery." Fred said. "And I have the treatment, a week of pranks." George said. Cris smiled at them and curled up again, next to Sirius and Remus.

"Boys, you will do no such thing." Mrs. Weasley said. But as she looked closely at Cris she saw that she was paler, as if she was scared. Mrs. Weasley had a suspicion that Cristal wasn't treated right at home, almost abused.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name.**

"Yes it is." James said. "It isn't in the Muggle world. It is actually quite common along with Black." Cris said. "Really?" Padfoot and Sirius asked. "Man, my mother would be rolling in her grave." Sirius said. "I have another one, but it'll have to wait for the second book." Cris said. Sirius pouted but Cris smiled innocently up at him.

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a daughter called Cris. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his niece was called Cris.**

"Does he know it now?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "I honestly don't know." Cris mumbled. Remus heard and frowned down at her.

**He'd never even seen the girl. It might have been Cierra. Or Carina.**

"Those aren't bad, but they don't have the same ring as Cristal Potter." Ron said. "I have always liked the name Cristal for a girl." Lily said. James smiled; he had a feeling that Lily, the girl of his dreams is the mother of his child. "What are you smiling at Potter?" Lily asked. "Nothing Evans, nothing." James said.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister like that… **

"It's your sister that you should be ashamed of." Cris said. Everyone was glaring at the book that they didn't notice what Cris had said.

**but all the same, those people in cloaks… **

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. **

**"Sorry," he grunted,**

"Since when does he know how to apologize?" Cris asked. "It's a miracle!" the twins shouted.

**as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

"What!" Lily, James, Padfoot, Moony shouted. The four from the past started hugging each other while everyone looked down, tears threatening to spill from many eyes.

"Why aren't you happy?" Moony asked. "It had a heavy price with it." McGonagall said. "Oh, but is he gone for good?" James asked. "No, he came back at the end of last year." Cris said quietly.

"No he is not!" Percy said for the first time. "Just wait and see Perce." Cris said.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"His arm fit around?" Cris asked. Everyone laughed until Dumbledore continued.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"How can you not approve of imagination?" Ginny asked. "I'm so sorry Cris." Sirius whispered. "It's not your fault Siri." Cris whispered back. The twins were mock crying until Bill and Charlie slapped them to shut them up.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. **

"It's Minnie!" James, Padfoot, Moony, Sirius and Remus shouted. McGonagall glared at them. "Minnie!" the Twins shouted. McGonagall groaned and Dumbledore eyes twinkled before he continued.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. **

"Minnie!" the twins shouted. Everyone ignored them.

**"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"If that's not you I'll give Potter fifty points." Snape said. Cris stared at him; everyone was now hoping it wasn't their professor and even betting on it. McGonagall gave him the look and he shut up immediately.

**Was this normal cat behavior?**

"Well no, but it is normal for McGonagall." Bill said. "We get it," Lily said.

**Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

"He takes orders from his wife? I guess she is the one who wears the pants." Hermione said. "I agree. That isn't how a marriage is supposed to work." Lily and Molly said.

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Shan't!").**

"They'll regret that later." Mrs. Weasley said. "No kidding, he uses it almost every day." Cris said.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: **

_**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" **_

_**"Well, Ted,"**_

"That's my dad; he works as a newscaster and was working that day." Tonks said. "I've always liked your parents." Sirius said. "I can't believe that you're the little girl that used to follow me around." Padfoot said. Tonks blushed while the others laughed.

_**said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**_

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

"I don't like where this is going." Lily said. "If he can figure it out, anyone could." Ron said. "It caused the Ministry a lot of pain that day." Mr. Weasley said. "Well technically he already knew about the Wizarding world." Cris said. "Point taken." Ron said.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

"No, no. I refuse." Lily said. "Why, what's going on?" James asked. "Petunia is my sister's name, at the moment she is dating some guy named Dursley." Lily said. "YES! I marry Lily Evans!" James said. Cris smiled at her parents and both Lily and James looked over at Cris and they stood up.

"Prongs, Lily, you might want to wait until the end of the chapter." Remus said. They nodded and sat back down.

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

"Thanks, Tunney, love you too." Lily said. James wrapped his arm around her to give her some comfort, which she accepted.

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?" **

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…" **

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley. **

**"Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… her crowd."**

"Her crowd, what does he mean by that?" Bill asked. "Us, witches and wizards. They hate anything do with magic." Lily said. A lot of people growled and Cris looked down to the ground.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their daughter — she'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't she?" **

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly. **

**"What's her name again? Cierra, isn't it?" **

**"Cristal;**

"Cristal, such a pretty name." Mrs. Weasley said. "Thanks Molly, what's your daughter's name?" Lily asked. "Ginevra, she goes by Ginny, like your daughter goes by Cris." Mrs. Weasley said. Ginny and Cris blushed and looked to the floor.

**or Cris, as they call her. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"Cristal isn't a nasty name, I think it's pretty. Better than Dudley anyway." Lily said. Cris smiled at her mom and Lily smiled back.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree." **

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

"Who are you waiting for Professor?" James asked. McGonagall smiled sadly at her deceased student. "You'll see Mr. Potter." She said.

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it. **

**The Dursley's got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect them…**

"And he jinxed it." Hermione said. "What? I thought they were Muggles." Ron asked. "It's a Muggle saying." Cris said. She wanted to get this chapter over with.

**How very wrong he was.**

Cris sighed and Sirius and Remus along with Ron and Hermione gave her a hug. James and Lily smiled at the support they got from their older friends and their daughters friends. Padfoot and Moony looked at their older selves wondering where this was going. Wherever it was going they knew they weren't going to like it.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

"Man, I can't even do that." Tonks said. "Patience is something you need when teaching students especially trouble makers." McGonagall said. She eyed both set of Marauders, the twins, Bill, Charlie, Tonks and the trio.

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. **

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.**

"Dumbledore!" the twins and the younger marauders said. "What were you doing there sir?" Lily asked. "You will find out Miss Evans." Dumbledore said.

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

The kids cheered for their headmaster and he chuckled.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

"Oh, I did realize, I just didn't care." Dumbledore said. Cris smiled a little but then buried herself in Sirius' side, she knew what was coming.

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known." **

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. **

"I want one." The twins said. "NO!" the teachers and their parents shouted. Everyone laughed until Dumbledore cleared his throat.

**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. **

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall." **

"I knew it." The pranksters yelled. "No one disagreed with you." Remus said. He was happy that Sirius was getting back to normal.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. "How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly." **

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

"No one asked you too." Snape said. "I understand that, but I didn't like the rumors and I knew Dumbledore would be there sooner or later and I wanted to hear it from him." McGonagall said. The people from the past looked confused.

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here." **

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. **

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news."**

"That caused us so many problems." Mr. Weasley said. "I can understand that." Padfoot said.

**She jerked her head back at the Dursley's' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"I like him; he is a very fun guy." James said. "He's funny," Cris said. James and Cris smiled. Sirius could now tell for sure that they had the same exact smile. Moony and Padfoot could see it too.

"Your daughter has your smile mate." Padfoot whispered. "I know it's uncanny." James said. Lily smiled, she always liked that smile, and to see it on her daughter made her happy.

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"Eleven years, but that's five years away." Lily said. "So we're a year away from my parents being together?" Cris whispered to Sirius. "It seems so, but it looks like we have kicked started their relationship." Sirius said. Cris smiled slightly thinking maybe they can change the past and the future as well.

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

Cris, Sirius and Remus shuddered; they knew that the most terrible news would be coming to the people of the past.

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?" **

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. **

"Not for long, anyway." mumbled Cris. Sirius rubbed her back as she rubbed her forearm.

**"We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"**

**"A what?" **

**"A sherbet lemon. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

"That's Dumbledore for you." Everyone said. Then they laughed.

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for sherbet lemon. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone —" **

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **_**Voldemort.**_**"**

A number of people in the room shuddered. "Good grief people, it isn't even his real name." Cris said. "You know his real name?" Sirius, Remus, James, Lily, Padfoot, Moony said. "Of course, it'll tell you at the end of the second book." Cris said with a smirk. "Your mean." Sirius said.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." "I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort,**

People flinched and Cris groaned mostly to herself. Sirius smiled as Remus shook his head.

**was frightened of." **

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"Only because you are too noble to use them." James, Cris, and Lily said.

**"Only because you're too — well —noble to use them."**

People laughed but Padfoot looked shocked. "Prongs don't think like a teacher. You'll go over to the dark side!" Padfoot said. Cris looked at the younger version of her godfather and then back to the older. "Siri, don't take this the wrong way but I think Azkaban made you sane." Cris whispered. Sirius chuckled, "I think you're right." Sirius said. "She is right, you're more mature now." Remus said.

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

"That's too much information." The twins said.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another sherbet lemon and did not answer.**

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. **

**The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — dead."**

"NO!" Padfoot and Remus shouted. James and Lily had tears in their eyes and they looked at each other. Cris had tears falling down her face but Sirius held her close and hugged her.

James looked over and got up to go to his daughter. "Padfoot let me." James said quietly. Sirius looked at his younger friend and nodded. Cris launched herself at her dad and he held her tight.

"It's okay baby girl, I'm so sorry." James said. Lily walked and hugged her daughter as well and Dumbledore continued reading.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. **

**"Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"**

"I didn't know you cared Professor." James said, he still held Cris tightly to him. "I do, you are very talented, and something Cristal picked up from you. As well as Defense Against the Dark Arts." McGonagall said. "I'm good at it." Cris whispered. "Good, Cris, you're brilliant. How many other thirteen year olds could produce and corporal patronus?" Remus asked. James and Lily looked proud and James kissed the top of her head.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's daughter, Cristal. **

"No! He didn't do anything did he?" Lily asked. She proceeded to check Cris for any injuries. "Where did you get this scar?" Lily asked as she looked at her forehead. "The book will tell you." Cris whispered. The couch that Cris was sitting on extended and the people from the past came and sat with Sirius, Remus and Cris.

**But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little girl. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Cristal Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone." **

"You are officially my favorite goddaughter." Padfoot said with a slight smile. "I'm your only goddaughter Padfoot." Cris said.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly. **

**"It's — it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little girl? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Cristal survive?"**

"I think we all want to know that." Bill said. "I'm sure this information will come out in the books sometime." Dumbledore said.

**"We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

"I bet he knows." Sirius whispered.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

Everyone who likes Hagrid smiled fondly at the mention of him.

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?" **

**"I've come to bring Cristal to her aunt and uncle. They're the only family she has left now." **

"No! Don't leave my baby girl with them. They won't love her or treat her right." Lily said.

**"You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall,**

"Yes, listen to her Professor." Lily said. "Mom, this already happened." Cris said quietly. Lily nodded but held Cris tightly and Cris sighed happily. Cris never thought that she would be ever be able to cuddle or to just be held by her parents, parents that are only a year older than she is but still it counts.

**jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Cristal Potter come and live here!"**

"Yes, please listen to her sir, Crisy can't live there." Lily said. Cris looked up at her mother. "Crisy?" she asked. "I thought it was cute." Lily said with a blush. "It's what you used to call her when she was a baby, Lily." Sirius said. Cris blushed and buried her head in Sirius' chest. Sirius chuckled and held her close.

**"It's the best place for her," said Dumbledore firmly. "Her aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to her when she's older. I've written them a letter." **

"They didn't tell me, Hagrid did." Cris mumbled.

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand her! She'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Cristal Potter day in the future**

Cris' head jerked up. "It's not is it?" she asked. "No my dear, the paper got lost a week later in a fire." Dumbledore said. "Who set the fire?" she asked. The twins and Charlie whistled quietly. "I love you guys." Cris said with a smile. Sirius chuckled.

"Thank god, she's more like me than her father." Lily said. "I'm sure she got other things from me. Like flying right?" James asked. "I suck at it." Cris said with a small smile. James' heart looked broken and looked down to the floor. Cris sent a wink to everyone in the room and a grin while Padfoot was getting over the shock as well.

— **there will be books written about Cris — every child in our world will know her name!"**

"Unfortunately." Cris grumbled. Snape snapped his head at her and was thinking to himself that maybe she isn't like her father after all.

**"Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any girl's head. Famous before she can walk and talk! Famous for something she won't even remember! **

"I wish I didn't remember." Cris grumbled. "You remember?" James asked shocked. "Bits and pieces, especially being around the dementors." Cris said. James hugged her close and kissed her head.

**Can you see how much better off she'll be, growing up away from all that until she's ready to take it?"**

"I can see where he's coming from. Especially seeing who her father is." Moony said. "Hey!" James protested while Cris giggled.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the girl getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Cris underneath it.**

"She better not be." Lily and James said growling. The other teens made faces at the images in their heads.

**"Hagrid's bringing her." **

**"You think it —wise — to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life." Cris said.

**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"I would too sweetheart." James said as the other people chuckled.

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?" **

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"It wasn't a dream!" Cris said excitedly. "You remember that?" Percy asked. "Yeah, for years I either dreamt of the bike or bright green light, a high pitched laugh and pain in my forehead." Cris said. Percy looked at her, 'Could she possibly be telling the truth?' Percy shook his head and focused on the headmaster.

"The bike is mine; I think Hagrid might still have it." Sirius whispered. Cris smiled up at her godfather.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild — long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms **

"He sounds scary but he's a big teddy bear unless he gets angry." Cris said. "Have you seen Hagrid angry?" James asked. "Yes," Cris said. "When?" Sirius asked. "In a few chapters I'm sure that you will see for yourself." Cris said.

**he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"It's baby Cris," Ron said.

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?" **

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got her, sir."**

"Cool, I get a flying bike. But why can't I take her?" Padfoot asked. "You'll find out in the third book." Sirius said.

**"No problems, were there?" **

**"No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got her out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. She fell asleep as we were flyin' over Bristol."**

"Awww!" the girls cooed. Cris hid in Sirius' side and her wrapped an arm around her again.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep.**

"I bet she was a cute baby." Lily said. "I have pictures. But I doubt that I could go and get them." Sirius said. "Trust us; she had every single one of us wrapped around her finger." Remus said. Cris blushed and everyone chuckled at the faces of Padfoot and Moony.

**Under a tuft of jet-black hair over her forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"There, now you know." Cris said. "I don't know, I still want to see." Ron said. "There are some at the Burrow with you and Cristal in the bath." Mrs. Weasley said. "EWWW!" Cris and Ron said at the same time. Everyone laughed until Dumbledore cleared his throat again.

**"Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "She'll have that scar forever."**

"So you got it from Voldemort?" Lily asked. Cris nodded her head and Lily hugged her close.

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?" **

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

"Really?" the twins, Padfoot, and James asked. Dumbledore chuckled and nodded and went back to reading.

**Well — give her here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with." **

**Dumbledore took Cristal in his arms and turned toward the Dursley's' house. **

**"Could I — could I say good-bye to her sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Cris and gave her what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

Sirius and Padfoot huffed while everyone chuckled well except Snape.

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Cris off ter live with Muggles —"**

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Cris gently on the doorstep,**

"YOU LEFT HER ON A DOORSTEP!" Everyone yelled except Percy who was read from anger. 'You don't just leave infants on a doorstep!' he thought.

**took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Cris' blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

"That's never good." James, Padfoot, and Moony said. Everyone nodded with them in agreement.

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations." **

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir." **

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night. **

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. **

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

**"Good luck, Cristal," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. **

"I'm going to need it." Cris whispered into Sirius' chest. Sirius rubbed circles on her back.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Cristal Potter rolled over inside her blankets without waking up. **

"Even as a baby you do that." Ron said. "How do you know?" James asked. "I sleep in the boys' dorm." Cris said. "Why?" Lily asked. "She wanted to be away from Lavender and Pavarti but another reason is that she gave her bed up to another girl who needed it. Don't you worry Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans, no boy can even get in her bed." McGonagall said. They relaxed and let Dumbledore continued reading.

**One small hand closed on the letter beside her and she slept on, not knowing she was special, not knowing she was famous, not knowing she would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that she would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by her cousin Dudley… **

People growled at that.

**She couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Cristal Potter — the girl who lived!"**

"That's the end. Minerva if you would." Dumbledore said. McGonagall nodded and took the book.

**Author's Note:**

**This is the vote so far please continue:**

**Cris/Sirius (2)**

**Cris/Fred (4)**

**Cris/Charlie (2)**

**Cris/George (1)**

**Fred/Cris/George (1)**


	3. Chapter 2: Vanishing Glass

"**Chapter Two: The Vanishing Glass"** McGonagall said. Cris groaned, Sirius wrapped his arm around her. The people from the past moved back to where they were seated before. Mrs. Weasley was really hoping that her suspicion were wrong.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursley's had woken up to find their niece on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursley's' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. **

"They're boring, how could you survive there Cris?" Charlie asked. "Very carefully." Cris answered.

**Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets **

The kids snickered and McGonagall glared at them so she could read.

— **but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another child lived in the house, too. **

"You're still there, right?" Lily asked worried. "Yeah," Cris said. "Then where are you?" James asked. "You'll see." Cris said.

**Yet Cristal Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. Her Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

"I'm sorry, her voice isn't very pleasant." Lily said. Snape nodded as he still looked at Lily. "I know, it's not your fault." Cris said. Lily smiled at her daughter as McGonagall continued.

**"Up! Get up! Now!"**

**Bella woke with a start. Her aunt rapped on the door again.**

"Good grief, give her chance." Ginny said.

**"Up!" she screeched. **

**Bella heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. She rolled onto her back and tried to remember the dream she had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. She had a funny feeling she'd had the same dream before.**

"I see what you mean by remembering the bike." Percy said. Cris gave him a slight smile before tensing. Sirius sensed it and held her in his lap. He was wondering what will happen that made his goddaughter act like this.

**Her aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

"Give her a minute!" Sirius growled.

**"Nearly," said Cris.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

"They made you cook?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Um, yes." Cris said. "Since when?" Lily asked. "Since I was five or six." Cris said. "You could have seriously gotten hurt!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. "I actually like to cook." Cris mumbled. Sirius shook his head and Remus smirked a little.

**Cris groaned.**

**"What did you say?" her aunt snapped through the door.**

"She didn't say anything, you horse!" Sirius snapped. "Siri, its fine." Cris said. "No it's not pup, did you feel loved at all?" Sirius asked. Cris looked down in her lap and Sirius held her closer. Lily and James felt heartbroken for their little girl.

**"Nothing, nothing…"**

**Dudley's birthday — how could she have forgotten?**

"Because you didn't want to remember." Hermione said. Cris smiled at her best friend and Hermione smiled back.

**Cris got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. Wincing as she moved her bruised ribs. **

"Cris, why were your ribs bruised?" Mr. Weasley asked fearing the worst. "Um, can we continue please?" Cris asked. Lily got up and kneeled down in front of her daughter.

"Cristal, why were your ribs bruised?" Lily asked. Cris looked into her eyes, the exact shade as hers and they were filled with tears. "Did they ever hit you?" James asked he didn't move because he didn't trust himself. Cris kept quiet and looked in her lap. Lily grabbed her and hugged her whispering into her ear while everyone else was fuming. After a few minutes later McGonagall continued reading.

**She found a pair under her bed and, after pulling a spider**

Ron shuddered and the twins looked down in guilt. Cris, knowing what was coming next decided to cling to Sirius.

**off one of them, put them on. Bella was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where she slept. **

"You slept in a cupboard?" Sirius asked in a quiet voice. Cris nodded and the whole room exploded. Lily was crying and James was holding her looking pissed himself.

"But, second year you had a bedroom." Ron said confused. "After my first letter they gave me the bedroom." Cris said quietly. "Cristal, I'm so sorry, I thought that maybe Petunia would feel bad about the loss of her sister and take the best care of you." Dumbledore said.

"I told you to let Lupin raise her, or the Weasley's. I'm sure they would have gladly taken her in." Snape said. "We would have gladly taken her." Molly and Arthur said. "Can we continue please?" Cris asked. McGonagall went back to the book to read.

**When she was dressed she went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike.**

"What a brat." Lily said.

**"Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Cris, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise — unless of course it involved punching somebody.**

"That better not be you." Sirius growled.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Cris,**

Everyone looked murderous except for Snape who kept his face blank but he felt bad Potter had the same childhood as he did.

**but he couldn't often catch her. Cris didn't look it, but she was very fast.**

"Tell me about it." Hermione and Ron said. "What?" Charlie asked. "She's a very fast runner." Ron said. Cris grinned sheepishly and McGonagall went back to the book.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Bella had always been small and skinny for her age.**

"Nope, Potter curse." James, Sirius, Moony, Padfoot and Remus said. "What?" Cris asked. "Children born to the Potter line will have untamable hair," Sirius said. He ruffled Cris' hair at that and she attempted to pull it out of her face and try to flatten it. "Bad eyesight." James said. "Not anymore!" Cris said. "No fair." James said and stuck his tongue out at his daughter. "Are scrawny until they are about sixteen." Remus said. "And they usually fall in love with red heads." Padfoot said. "Usually?" Cris asked. "Well, your grandmother isn't a red head." Moony said. "Oh," Cris said.

**She looked even smaller and skinnier than she really was because all she had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than she was. Cris had a thin face, knobby knees, long black hair,**

"There's the James in you." Sirius said. James looked at his daughter, it was kind of like looking in a mirror but she had more of her mother's facial features.

**and bright green eyes.**

"Your eyes." James said looking at Lily. Lily and Cris blushed as Cris hid her face in Sirius' side again. "You get that a lot, don't you?" James asked. "You have no idea." Cris said with a smile.

**She wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched her on the nose.**

"That is why I got rid of the glasses." Cris said.

**The only thing Cris liked the most about her own appearance was a very thin scar on her forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. **

"You liked it?" Ron, Hermione, Neville asked. "Give it a minute." Cris said.

**She had had it as long as she could remember, and the first question she could ever remember asking her Aunt Petunia was how she had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.**

"They lied to you?" Lily asked. Cris nodded her head. Sirius grabbed her again and she curled up in his lap. "I'm so sorry pup. You didn't deserve this." Sirius whispered. "Did you even know that you were a witch?" Moody asked. "No, not until I got my letter." Cris said.

**"And don't ask questions."**

**Don't ask questions — that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursley's.**

"Is that why you don't often ask for help in class?" McGonagall asked. Cris looked down and Sirius held her closer. "I'm trying to break it. I'm getting better." Cris said.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Cris was turning over the bacon. **

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Can we use that?" the twins asked. Cris just looked at them as if to say that they are crazy. They got the message and they shut up.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Cris needed a haircut. Cris must have had more haircuts than the rest of the children in her class put together, but it made no difference, her hair simply grew that way — all over the place.**

"Potter hair!" the twins and the young marauders shouted. Cris glared at her father who quailed under it. "You have your mother's glare." Moony said. Then Cris and Lily glared at Moony.

**Cris was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. **

"Is he single?" Ginny asked. "I'll put in a good word; though don't get your hopes up." Cris said. "Oh darn, I was so hoping to get him." Ginny said in a fake pout.

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Cris often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

"Oh dear god, you have my wit." Lily said. "You get a lot of detentions, don't you?" James asked. "I have a far few." Cris said with a smile.

**Cris put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

"What now?" Padfoot whined. He hated that his future goddaughter was treated this way.

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"Brat!" everyone shouted.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."**

"Is she serious?" Ron asked. "No, I am." Padfoot said. "Man, I haven't used that joke in years." Sirius said. "Really, that's not like you." James said. "No one to tell it to. And the people I was with weren't very good listeners." Sirius said. Cris snorted but then motioned McGonagall to get back to reading.

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Cris, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down her bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over. **

"Does that happen often?" Lily asked. "You have no idea." Cris mumbled.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"**

"That is not how you handle the situation. I'm sorry Lily but your sister has no parenting skills." Mrs. Weasley said. "I know, how she became a mother is beyond me." Lily said.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…"**

"Are you kidding me? He can't even count?" Hermione asked. Cris shook her head. "How did pass every year?" Lily asked. "You had to do the work, didn't you?" Hermione asked. Cris nodded and looked down again. "They threatened you didn't they?" James asked. Cris nodded and tears threatened to fall again. Lily started crying and buried her face in James' shoulder. "You are never going back there! I promise." Sirius said. Cris nodded into his chest as McGonagall went back to the book.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

**"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"He is just making it worse by encouraging it." Molly said.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Bella and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. **

Cris looked over and she saw Mr. Weasley scribbling away on the parchment again. She smiled fondly, she always liked her best friend's family, they made her feel welcome.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take her."**

**She jerked her head in Cris' direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Cris' heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Cris was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. **

"They didn't take you anywhere?" Lily asked. "No, they didn't want me to have any fun." Cris said. Everyone looked at her sadly but she didn't want it.

**Cris hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made her look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"I feel your pain." Padfoot said. "Not all cats are bad. Crookshanks is a good cat." Sirius said. "Have I gone insane or something in the future?" Padfoot asked. Cris giggled at her younger godfather. "Actually I think you are saner." Cris said. Padfoot looked hurt but laughed along with Cris.

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Cris as though she'd planned this. Cris knew she ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when she reminded herself it would be a whole year before she had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again. **

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

"Isn't she the one you…?" Ron asked. "Yes," Cris said. "Later," she said looking at the curious looks.

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the girl."**

"The feeling is mutual." Cris said.

**The Dursley's often spoke about Cris like this, as though she wasn't there — or rather, as though she was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

James shuddered and Cris noticed. "James never did like slugs." Sirius said with a smile. "Was it the same story with the boggart you said in class?" Cris asked Remus. "Yep, it was your mother who was scared of the headless corpse." Remus said. "That hasn't happened yet." Lily and James said. "I know, but it will and I won't tell you when and where." Remus said. "You're so mean Moony." James said. Remus smiled and motioned for McGonagall to continue.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?"**

"They're still friends?" Lily asked. "Unfortunately." Cris said.

**"On holiday in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Bella put in hopefully (she'd be able to watch what she wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

"But then you would have fun and we can't have that." Bill said with a snarl.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"So, she always looks like that then?" George asked. "Fred!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. "I'm not Fred, he is." George said. "Don't you try that with me." Mrs. Weasley said. "Actually they're not kidding this time." Cris said. "How can you tell?" Bill asked. "Well Fred has a freckle under his left eye and George has a slight dimple on the right side." Cris said. "Really?" the twins asked. Cris nodded and McGonagall continued reading wondering how in the world did she notice that.

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Cris, but they weren't listening.**

"We took care of that three years later." Fred said. Cris smiled at the memory while Ron and George laughed and Mr. Weasley looked sheepish. "You didn't tell us you blew up the house." Bill and Charlie said. "It wasn't the house, just the living room." Cris said.

"I really need to know this story." Sirius and Padfoot said. "Fourth book." Cris, Ron, Fred and George said. "You guys are mean." Sirius and Padfoot said.

**"I suppose we could take her to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave her in the car…"**

"What is she, a dog?" Neville asked. "That isn't funny." Sirius and Padfoot said. "Yes it is." Cris said. "I wonder if you're as ticklish as your mom." Sirius said. "You do that and I will bind you." Cris said. "You are evil Cristal Potter." Sirius said wide eyed. Cris grinned and went back to listening.

**"That car's new; she's not sitting in it alone…" **

"Sure worry about the car, not your niece sitting in the hot car that could die of heat stroke." Hermione snapped.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"And Petunia falls for that?" Lily asked. "Every single time, it's so bloody annoying." Cris said.

**"Dinky Duddydums, **

"Oh Merlin, her nicknames are worse than ever." Lily said. Everyone else was laughing.

**don't cry, Mummy won't let her spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I… don't… want… her… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "She always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Cris a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. **

"Sweet Merlin this kid is a brat." Tonks said.

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother.**

**Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

"Of course, you can't cry in front of him. That means he isn't your real friend." James and Cris said. They looked at each other and James felt proud that his daughter has such great and supportive friends.

**Half an hour later, Cris, who couldn't believe her luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in her life. Her aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with her, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Cris aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Cris', "I'm warning you now, girl**

"She has a name, use it." Everyone said besides Snape, Dumbledore, and Moody.

— **any funny business, anything at all —**

McGonagall stopped her eyes wide and her lips were as thin as ever. "What is it?" Mrs. Weasley and Lily asked.

**and you'll not have any meals for a week**

Everyone fell quiet. "How often did they not feed you Cris?" Sirius asked as he cradled her. "Not too often. Otherwise I would pass out while doing the house work." Cris said. "God Cris, you don't deserve this." Sirius said. "She is not going back there Albus." Mrs. Weasley said. "I quite agree, once we clear Sirius' name she can stay with him or with you if we can't." Dumbledore said.

"Why does my name need to be clear?" Padfoot asked. Sirius cleared his throat and decided to tell his younger self. "I spent twelve years in Azkaban for a murder I didn't comment. I was framed for thirteen murders with one spell. One of the thirteen was Peter." Sirius said. "Peter framed you?" James and Moony asked. "When did this happen?" Padfoot asked. "Soon after James and Lily were killed, I went after Peter because he was the secret keeper. More of the story is in the third book." Sirius said. McGonagall took this and began reading again.

**and then in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Cris, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe her. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Cris and it was just no good telling the Dursley's she didn't make them happen. **

"We get to hear about some of your accidental magic?" Tonks asked. "Yep," Cris said. "some of it was actually really good."

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Cris coming back from the barbers looking as though she hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut her hair into a very badly shaped bob though she left her fringe, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Cris, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where she was already laughed at for her baggy clothes and taped glasses. **

More people growled.

**Next morning, however, she had gotten up to find her hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off, three quarters of the way down her back. **

"Do you have metamorphmagus powers?" Tonks asked. "Kind of." Cris said. "She can only change her hair color." Hermione said. Cris then turned it to a teal color. "Cool." James said.

**She hadn't been given food for three days**

Sirius held her closer as if to try and protect her from the events in the book, in truth she didn't mind. She kind of liked it, she liked it when her mom and dad each held her and whispered comforting words in her ear.

**and a week in her cupboard for this, even though she had tried to explain that she couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force her into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). **

"Gross," all the girls said.

**The harder she tried to pull it over her head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Cris.**

**Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to her great relief, Cris wasn't punished.**

"Thank God," Sirius sighed.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Cris' surprise as anyone else's, there she was sitting on the chimney.**

"You apparated?" the present asked. "I think she flew." Snape and Lily said. "How do you know?" Cris asked. "I did the same thing just off a swing." Lily said. Cris smiled that she did the same thing as her mom.

**The Dursley's had received a very angry letter from Cris' headmistress telling them Cris had been climbing school buildings. But all she'd tried to do (as she shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of her cupboard, after being told she wasn't having any food for a week.) was jump behind the big trashcans outside the kitchen doors. Cris supposed that the wind must have caught her in mid-jump. **

"You need to learn how to lie." Sirius said. "Sorry, I'll try harder next time." Cris said with a smile.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong.**

Ron, Hermione, and Neville groaned. "It wasn't that bad." Cris said. "You still jinxed it." Hermione said. Cris smiled a little and put her head on Sirius' shoulder.

**It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, her cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room. While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Cris, the council, Cris, the bank, and Cris were just a few of his favorite subjects. **

"I think he likes to complain about you Cris." The twins said. "You think?" Cris asked with a grin. Sirius smiled, he was happy that she had good friends that she can count on.

**This morning, it was motorcycles.**

**"…roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

**"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Cris, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Did you really do that?" Sirius asked. "Yeah, I was excited. I was going to the zoo for the first time." Cris said. Sirius' heart broke, 'I shouldn't have gone after the rat.' He looked down when he felt arms wrap around him to see his goddaughter hugging him. He smiled slightly and hugged her back.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Cris, his face like a gigantic beet with a moustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

**"I know they don't," said Cris. "It was only a dream."**

"No it wasn't, it was a memory." The twins said. Cris smiled over at them and nodded.

**But she wished she hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursley's hated even more than her asking questions, it was her talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think she might get dangerous ideas. **

"I think we should watch these cartoons." the twins said. "They did give us some really good ideas." Remus said. The twins perked up and went to ask Cris and Hermione to about it but their mom stopped them.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursley's bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Cris what she wanted before they could hurry her away, they bought her a cheap lemon ice pop. **

They frowned. "It wasn't bad though." Cris said. "Only you." Ron said.

**It wasn't bad, either, Cris thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blonde.**

"So, your mother's wit plus father's insults equals Cris. Got it." Sirius said. Cris blushed as James smiled, he was happy that his daughter got something from him other than his looks.

**Cris had the best morning she'd had in a long time. She was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursley's so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting her.**

"Good idea," Sirius said. He hated the life that his little girl had to live like this. James and Lily were really mad about all of this so far.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Cris was allowed to finish the first. **

"Sure, let Cris finish it off and buy your spoiled brat of a son a new one. Great parenting, Petunia." Lily said.

**Cris felt, afterward, that she should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Great, what happened now?" Remus asked rubbing his eyes. "It wasn't so bad." Cris said with a smile.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge. **

"Is this what you were talking about in second year?" Ron asked. "Yeah," Cris said with a blush. She was worried about how her parents were going to take this.

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Cris moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. She wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least she got to visit the rest of the house. **

"Why are you comparing yourself to a snake?" James asked. "It was just how I felt at the time." Cris said. Sirius held her closer while James sent his older version of his best friend a grateful look.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Cris'.**

**It winked.**

"What? Snakes can't wink." Lily said. "What's going on?" James asked. "You'll find out." Cris said.

**Cris stared. Then she looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. She looked back at the snake and winked, too. **

"Cris, are you a parseltongue?" Padfoot asked. "No, she can't be." James and Lily said. "I am," Cris said. "How? It doesn't run in my family." James said. "It will explain in the second book." Dumbledore said. Lily and James nodded and McGonagall continued.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Cris a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time."**

**"I know," Cris murmured through the glass, though she wasn't sure the snake could hear her. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Cris asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Cris peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Cris read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?"**

"So, you're talking to a snake and you don't think that this is weird at all?" Hermione asked. "Yeah," Cris said sheepishly. Sirius and Remus chuckled while their younger counterparts laughed along with everyone else.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Cris made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Cris in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Cris fell hard on the concrete floor gasping. It was the same spot where two nights before she had been hit by her uncle.**

"Next time I see your uncle, I'm hitting him." Fred said. Cris looked at the twins, both of them were fuming. Cris caught Fred's eye and gave him a warm smile. Meanwhile Sirius and Remus were planning something as well as everyone else. They were cut off by McGonagall reading again.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror. **

"What did you do?" people asked. Cris smiled and Sirius groaned, he knew that she won't tell them anything.

**Bella sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

"That is some really advanced magic." McGonagall said. Cris blushed and hid her face in Sirius' shoulder again. Everyone else chuckled.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

Now everyone was laughing, well except for the obvious (Snape) the teachers and Moody were trying not to laugh but had smiles on their faces.

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Cris could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amiga." **

"Well at least it's a nice snake." Luna said. "Yep, I wonder if ever made it to Brazil." Cris said with a thoughtful look. The kids chuckled while the adults shook their heads with smiles on their faces.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?" **

"It magically disappeared." Hermione said with a straight face. "Nice Mione." Cris said. They smiled at each other then went back to the book.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Cris had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. **

"Overdramatic much?" Lily asked. "Of course, they have to otherwise they wouldn't get the attention." Cris said. Everyone growled.

**But worst of all, for Cris at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Cris was talking to it, weren't you, Cris?"**

"Of course he did." Ron said. "It wasn't too bad was it?" Remus and Mrs. Weasley asked. Cris kept quiet, she wasn't able to move for days after this incident.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Cris. He was so angry he grabbed her by her hair. **

"Let her go!" the adults snarled. The kids were planning something to do to Cris' relatives.

**Uncle Vernon then threw Cris into the cupboard after taking his belt to her. He locked the door and Cris could see his moustache through the little golden shutters in the door.**

**"No meals for a week." He growled and closed the little shutters; leaving Cris in the pitch black.**

Sirius growled and brought Cris closer. He could feel tears filling in his eyes. Cris looked up at him and hugged him. "I'm okay now; they haven't hit me since summer after third year." Cris said. "Why did they stop?" Tonks asked. "I kind of forgot to mention that Sirius is innocent, so they think he is an insane mass murderer and will come and turn them into bats if I'm unhappy." Cris said. "I'll do more than that if I ever see them." Sirius growled. Everyone nodded in agreement and McGonagall continued.

**Cris lay in her dark cupboard much later, wishing she had a watch. She didn't know what time it was and she couldn't be sure the Dursley's were asleep yet. Until they were, she couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"That's why you're so sneaky; you've had plenty of practice." Ron said. "Do I smell a little marauder in the room?" Padfoot asked. "No! No you don't." Sirius said. The past looked at him as if they've never seen him before. "Why not?" James asked. "She gets into enough trouble without pulling pranks as well." Remus said. The people from the past now understand why, they looked at Cris who was blushing and looked to the floor.

**She'd lived with the Dursley's almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as she could remember, ever since she'd been a baby and her parents had died in that car crash. She couldn't remember being in the car when her parents had died. Sometimes, when she strained her memory during long hours in her cupboard, she came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on her forehead. **

"I still can't believe you can remember that." Remus said. "Wait till the third book with the dementors and you'll see what I hear." Cris mumbled. Sirius held her closer but missing the looks from Fred, Charlie and George.

**This, she supposed, was the crash, though she couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. She couldn't remember her parents at all. Her aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course she was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. **

"You didn't know what we looked like?" Lily asked with tears streaming down her face. "Not until Christmas in my first year." Cris said. Cris stood and walked over to her parents and hugged them. James held her tightly to him, they were going to change the future, and he has to.

**When she had been younger, Cris had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take her away, **

"I'm so sorry pup; I shouldn't have gone after the rat." Sirius said. "Siri, it's okay, everything will change after this." Cris said. Sirius nodded and gave her a smile, he was happy to see her with his younger best friends.

**but it had never happened; the Dursley's were her only family. Yet sometimes she thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know her. Very strange strangers they were, too.**

"Nobody should have been able to find you." Dumbledore said. Cris shrugged but smiled, she was happy to be in the arms of her parents.

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed**

"That was Diggle, wasn't it?" Kingsley asked. "Yep," Cris answered with another smile.

**to her once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Cris furiously if she knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at her once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken her hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Cris tried to get a closer look. **

"They should have known better." Mrs. Weasley said. "I didn't mind, although I did think that I was crazy a couple of times." Cris said. "You are crazy Cris. Just in a different way." Ron said. Cris threw a pillow at him, which hit him in the face.

**At school, Cris had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Cristal Potter in her baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang. **

"You didn't have any friends?" Lily asked. "Ron was my first friend." Cris said. Cris smiled at Ron who smiled back. Lily got up and hugged Ron. "Thank you for being there for my daughter." Lily said. Ron's face turned bright red and his brothers snickered. McGonagall then handed the book over to Snape who opened it to chapter 3.

**Author's Note**

**Votes so far:**

**Cris/Sirius (2)**

**Cris/Fred (6)**

**Cris/Charlie (3)**

**Cris/George (1)**

**Fred/Cris/George (2)**

**Continue voting, I will decide in a few chapters.**


	4. Chapter 3: Letters From No One

"**Letter's From No One"** Snape read. "You're going to be getting your Hogwarts letter." Lily said with a smile. Cris nodded from her place between Sirius and Remus. "But why is it more than one?" Padfoot and Ron asked. "You'll see." Cris said.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Cris her longest-ever punishment. **

People growled.

**By the time she was allowed out of her cupboard again, the summer holidays had started **

"But that's a month!" Remus yelled. Everyone was fuming. "What about school?" Hermione and Lily asked. "I went, but I had to go right back in after I got home." Cris said. "At least there's that." McGonagall said.

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches. **

"What a wonderful boy." Mrs. Weasley said.

**Cris was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. **

"Well that makes perfect sense." Lily said. "I know it's like Malfoy and his gang except with Goyle as the leader." Cris said. "That would be a sight to see." Ron said with a snort.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Cris Hunting. **

"How about we hunt Dudley and his gang." Sirius growled. He brought Cris closer as if protecting her.

**This was why Cris spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where she could see a tiny ray of hope. **

"Yes, because you wouldn't be going to the same school as Dudley." Hermione said. "Exactly," Cris said.

**When September came she would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in her life, she wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Cris, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny. **

"Why?" James asked. "You'll see dad." Cris said with a smile.

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Cris. "Want to come upstairs and practice?" **

"He better not have." Everyone growled. Snape looked at the next line and then looked up at Cris. Cris smiled innocently at him much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

**"No, thanks," said Cris. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick." **

Everyone laughed or chuckled at that, even Snape had a small smile on his face. "Mother's wit, dad's insult equals a very bad combo. I feel so sorry for the teachers." Moony said with a smile. "I'm not that bad in class, am I Remus?" Cris asked looking at the older to her right. "No, you're not; you only use it when people insult you." Remus said. "It makes it very entertaining." Ron and the twins said. The past people smiled at the smile in between the older selves/older best friends.

**Then she ran, before Dudley could work out what she'd said. **

"I don't you needed to run sweetheart." Sirius said placing a kiss to her head. "I'm still waiting on that." Cris said with a smile while the others laughed.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Cris at Mrs. Figg's.**

**Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. **

"That's a plus at least." Lily said.

**It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Cris watch television and gave her a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years. **

"The poor, poor chocolate." Remus and Moony said. The kids chuckled along with Sirius, Padfoot and James.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. **

"I've never been so happy that Hogwarts uniforms are black." James and Padfoot said who were still wearing them. People chuckled at that thinking the same thing.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"How is that good training?" Lily asked. "I have no idea. But we kind of do the same thing. We throw hexes at each in the corridors." Cris said. "True," Lily said.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins,**

People laughed.

**he looked so handsome and grown-up. Cris didn't trust herself to speak. She thought two of her ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh. **

Now Cris didn't have problems, she laughed with everyone else.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Cris went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. She went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water.**

**"What's this?" she asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if she dared to ask a question.**

**"Your new school uniform," she said.**

**Cris looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," she said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

"Sarcasm doesn't work on my sister, sweetie." Lily said. "I know now, mom." Cris said with a smile.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dying some of Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

**Cris seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue.**

"Now that's a first." Hermione said. "Hey!" Cris said. "It's true Cris, don't try to deny it." Ron said. "Thanks I love you too." Cris said but she had a small smile on her face.

**She sat down at the table and tried not to think about how she was going to look on her first day at Stonewall High — like she was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably. **

"Cris, have I ever told you that I love your imagination?" Fred asked. "No, but thanks, I think." Cris said. Everyone else laughed at the exchange.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Cris' new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper. **

"He made him get the mail?" Sirius asked. "The world is ending!" the twins shouted. "Just wait for it." Cris said with a smile at the twins antics.

**"Make Cris get it."**

**"Get the mail, girl." **

"Does he ever say your name?" Lily asked. "Sometimes, when I'm in trouble or something." Cris said quietly. Everyone frowned, what else could have happened to Cris at that house.

**"Make Dudley get it."**

**"Poke her with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

**Cris dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and — a letter for Cris.**

**Cris picked it up and stared at it, her heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in her whole life, had written to her. **

"You didn't get any of the letters we sent you?" Ginny asked. "What letters?" Cris asked. "All of us and I'm sure other kids as well wrote letters to you when we were younger." Charlie said. "I didn't get any of those." Cris said. "That would be because they are being held in a room in the Ministry until you want to receive them. Although I would have some of them checked for curses and things like that." Dumbledore said. Cris nodded and curled into Sirius' side again thinking things over.

**Who would? She had no friends, no other relatives — she didn't belong to the library, so she'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Miss. C. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs 4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

"We should probably have someone watching the outgoing letters and make sure that something like this doesn't happen again." McGonagall said. "Agreed Minerva." Dumbledore said, the twinkle in his eyes went out.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink.**

**There was no stamp. **

Mrs. Weasley smiled sheepishly as Cris chuckled thinking about the letter inviting her to the world cup.

**Turning the envelope over, her hand trembling, Cris saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.**

**"Hurry up, girl!" **

"The girl has a name, it's not that hard." George and Padfoot said. "It's one syllable, Cris, C-R-I-S." Fred and James said. They smiled at each other while Cris blushed.

**shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

"That was a joke?" the twins asked. "It was so funny I forgot how to laugh." James and Padfoot said. Sirius chuckled at his younger self, Cris could tell that he was coming back to his old self.

**Cris went back to the kitchen, still staring at her letter. She handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope. **

"You should have opened it in the hall." Sirius and Lily said. Lily looked over at Sirius confused while Sirius just had a smile on his face. "They used to do that a lot, believe or not." Remus said.

"Really?" James, Padfoot, Moony and Lily asked. "Yeah, you found it quite funny James." Sirius said. "I can imagine. Padfoot, close your mouth or you'll catch flies." James said. "Prongs!" Padfoot said. Everyone chuckled while Snape went back to reading.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…"**

"And I'm not sorry one bit." Cris said. "I agree with you. I've only met Marge once and she hated me since she laid her eyes on me." Lily said. "Then you'll enjoy the third book. It was my safest year." Cris said. "You are going to give me grey hairs," Sirius complained. Padfoot looked horrified.

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Cris' got something!"**

**Cris was on the point of unfolding her letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of her hand by Uncle Vernon. **

**"That's mine!" said Cris, trying to snatch it back.**

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon,**

"A lot of people, apparently." Cris said. "Of course we would, now we do just to see how you are doing." Hermione said. Cris smiled at her friends who smiled back at her.

**shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge. **

Tonks mimicked the face and everyone laughed. "I don't think I am going to eat porridge every again." Ron said with a look of disgust on his face.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!"**

"Wow, their calling out to each without even doing the deed." Charlie said. Everyone looked green as Mrs. Weasley yelled at her second oldest. "Wait a second, these are the two we babysat over the summer?" James asked looking at Bill and Charlie. "I think so Prongs." Padfoot and Moony said. "Mom, why didn't you tell us that Mr. Potter and Sirius Black and Remus Lupin babysat us?" Bill and Charlie asked. "You never asked." Molly said.

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that." Sirius said. "Me too," Remus said. "How could you forget, these two drove the three of us up the wall more times than we can count." James said. They looked sheepish as Bill and Charlie blushed while their siblings snickered.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Cris and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

**"I want to read it," said Cris furiously, "as it's mine."**

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Cris didn't move.**

**"I WANT MY LETTER!" she shouted.**

"Oh dear, you have my temper." Lily said. "Don't we know it." Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins said. Cris grinned sheepishly as her dad eyed her. "Thankfully she hasn't yelled at us," Sirius said before he was cut off by Cris' glare. "And she has Lily's glare." Remus said. "I feel so sorry for you two." James said watching his older versions the two beside him. "I am so not looking forward to that." Padfoot said. Moony nodded and motioned for Snape to continue.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Cris and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Cris and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole;**

"You can do it Cris!" the twins yelled.

**Dudley won,**

"What do you expect; he's four times bigger than I am." Cris said. "Yet, you tend to beat us every time." Ron said. "Ah, but I fight dirty when we wrestle." Cris said.

"I'm so proud." James said wiping a fake tear from his eye. "You wouldn't say that if you were me." Ron said. "Why?" Padfoot asked. "You don't want to know." Ron and Neville said. Cris smiled sweetly as Snape went back to the book.

**so Cris, her glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on her stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where she sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

**"Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly. **

"We have better things to do than follow you, although we should have had a witch or wizard family planted there and not a squib." Mad-Eye said. "I agree Mad-Eye." Sirius said with a glare to Dumbledore.

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —"**

**Cris could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…"**

**"But —"**

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took her in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

"I still can't believe that they did that." Sirius said. "It's dangerous; it's a miracle your magic didn't explode out of you at different intervals." McGonagall said. Sirius picked her up and held Cris close.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Cris in her cupboard. **

"He didn't touch you that way did he?" Remus asked somewhat tensely. Sirius whimpered and held her tighter. "No, he didn't, he just beat me." Cris said. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. "We are definitely changing the past when we get back." Moony said. The others nodded in agreement as Snape went on.

**"Where's my letter?" said Cris, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly.**

**"I have burned it."**

**"It was not a mistake," said Cris angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.**

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

**"Er — yes, Cristal — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom. **

"Second bedroom? You slept in a cupboard for almost ten years while their pig of a son had two bedrooms." Mrs. Weasley said. Cris nodded and buried her head again in Sirius' side, who looked furious but wrapped his arm around her, holding her close.

**"Why?" said Cris.**

"Why question it?" Ron asked. "Because I wasn't used to him being nice to me." Cris mumbled. "Good, CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Mad-Eye yelled, making everyone jump.

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped her uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursley's house had four bedrooms: **

Growling could be heard throughout the room.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Cris one trip upstairs to move everything she owned from the cupboard to this room. She sat down on the bed and stared around her. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been cancelled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched. **

"They have been now." Cris said. "Traitor!" the twins and Ron said. "What? I had to have something to do when I was locked in my room." Cris said. Everyone sombered up at that.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want her in there… I need that room… make her get out…"**

"Tough luck, big baby." Bill said.

**Cris sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday she'd have given anything to be up here. Today she'd rather be back in her cupboard with that letter than up here without it. **

"I can understand that." Hermione said. "Plus, I was curious, you know how I can be." Cris said. "Oh, I know, trust me I know." Hermione and Ron said. Cris smiled sheepishly, thinking of the last four years. Sirius groaned into her hair, 'I'm going to have so many grey hairs by the end of this.' Sirius thought.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Cris was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing she'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Cris, made Dudley go and get it. **

"Great, you still don't get your letter." Lily said. "Not yet." Cris said with a smile. "Do you at least get it this chapter?" Sirius asked. "Nope," Cris said with another smile. "Can you at least tell us when?" he asked. "Next chapter I think," Cris said with a grin.

**They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Miss. C. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'"**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Cris right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Cris had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

Cris, Ron and Hermione started laughing. "Are you getting some practice there Cris?" Ron said through the laugh. "Maybe," Cris said with a smirk. "Did you stick anything up his nose?" Hermione asked. "Nah, nothing was small enough." Cris said and they laughed again until Snape continued reading, while everyone was wondering what in the world they were laughing about.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Cris' letter clutched in his hand.**

**"Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Cris. "Dudley — go — just go."**

**Cris walked round and round her new room. Someone knew she had moved out of her cupboard and they seemed to know she hadn't received her first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time she'd make sure they didn't fail. She had a plan. **

Sirius, Remus, Padfoot, Moony, Ron and Hermione groaned. "There isn't anything wrong with my plans." Cris huffed. "Unless there anything like your father's than there is." Sirius said. "Hey!" James said and stuck his tongue out at his adult best friend. "There is nothing wrong with my plans, we're still alive right?" Cris asked. "Yes, but you had to make stuff up on the spot that contributed to us still being alive" Hermione said.

Cris huffed as Sirius pulled her closer. James was huffing too but stopped when Lily kissed him. They pulled apart and everyone was either smiling or cheering. Cris smiled and looked between Sirius and Remus, both of them hugged her between them as Snape, looking bitter, continued reading.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Cris turned it off quickly and dressed silently. She mustn't wake the Dursley's. She stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**She was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. Her heart hammered as she crept across the dark hall toward the front door —**

**"AAAAARRRGH!"**

**Cris leapt into the air; she'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something alive!**

"Is it your uncle?" the twins asked.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to her horror Cris realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. **

"That's awesome Prongslet." Padfoot said. "Prongslet?" Cris asked. "James is Prongs, you are Prongs daughter, and therefore you are Prongslet." Padfoot said. "Oh, I have too many nicknames." Cris grumbled. "It's okay cub." Remus said rubbing circles on her back.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Cris didn't do exactly what she'd been trying to do. He tea. Cris shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time she got back, the mail had arrived, **

"You really do have bad luck." Moony said. "You have no idea." Cris grumbled.

**right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Cris could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

**"I want —" she began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before her eyes.**

"That bastard." Bill said.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. **

"Someone's paranoid." Tonks said with a light laugh.

**He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"He should grow a brain and listen to his wife. She obvious knows what she is talking about." James said. "Petunia knows, listen to her." Lily said.

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him. **

"That is why I mostly cooked." Cris said. "You inherited Lily's cooking ability then." Sirius said. "She did?" Lily and James asked. "Seems like it, Cristal's first birthday you baked this glorious chocolate cake that was to die for." Remus said. "I think I'm in heaven just by thinking about it." Moony said. Everyone chuckled and Snape continued with the chapter.

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Cris. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. **

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises. **

"I think your uncle can give Mad-Eye a run for his money when it comes to paranoia." Tonks said. Mad-Eye glared at the girl while Snape continued.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Cris found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two-dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Cris in amazement.**

"A lot of people." Ron said. "Not at the moment." Cris grumbled so only Sirius and Remus could hear. Sirius growled so low that nobody but both Remus' could hear.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today —"**

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursley's ducked, but Cris leapt into the air trying to catch one —**

"Why didn't you just pick one up off the floor?" Lily asked. "Practicing." Cris said with a smile while everyone else tried to hide a smile.

**"Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Cris around the waist and threw her into the hall. **

"Hands off," all the guys under twenty growled as well as Remus and Sirius.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his moustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!" **

"This isn't going to end well, is it?" Lily asked. Cris just smiled secretly.

**He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

"At least he is getting some discipline." Mrs. Weasley said.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

**"Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

"He's lost it." Mad-Eye said. "When Mad-Eye says that than you really know that he's gone." Tonks said with a smile while Mad-Eye glared at her.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer. **

"Welcome to Cris' world." Everyone said.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Cris shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Cris stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering… **

"Wondering what?" Lily asked. "I don't remember, probably what the letter said and what had Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia spooked." Cris said.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. **

"That's not healthy; no wonder you're so skinny." Mrs. Weasley said. "I'm fine Mrs. Weasley." Cris said. "I won't have that Cristal Rose Potter, when it's time for dinner I will personally make sure you eat at least three helpings." Mrs. Weasley said. Cris nodded sheepishly and looked at her parents.

"Thank you Molly," Lily said. "It's no problem dear." Molly said. "Your hole name is really pretty sweetie." Lily said. "It was actually James' idea for the middle name." Sirius said. James blushed while Lily kissed his cheek. "We kept to the tradition even though it is her middle name." Lily said.

**They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Miss. C. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Miss. C. Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

**Cris made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked her hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

**"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. **

"Merlin, he's so far gone even the kid knows." Bill said.

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.**

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."**

**Monday. This reminded Cris of something. If it was Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Cris' eleventh birthday.**

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" the pranksters yelled. "Thanks but my birthday was months ago." Cris said. "When is your birthday?" Lily and James asked. "July," Cris said. "July what?" they asked. "You'll find out." Cris said.

**Of course, her birthdays were never exactly fun — last year; the Dursley's had given her a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

Sirius and Remus shared a look, next year they were going to spoil her rotten.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

"Hermione, before you go on a tangent, what I meant was you don't turn eleven every day." Cris said. Hermione blushed while the others snickered.

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. **

"That can't be good." Charlie muttered looking worriedly at the girl between Sirius and Remus.

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain; there was no television in there.**

"Poor Dudley, he doesn't get what he wants." Charlie said. Hermione and Cris shared a look and broke out into song. Everyone looked at them weird except for Lily. "The Rolling Stones are still popular then?" Lily asked. "Definitely," Cris said. "It's a Muggle band. A lot like the Weird Sisters but not as crazy looking." Hermione said. Everyone nodded and Snape continued.

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

"I hope you didn't get sick." Mrs. Weasley and Lily said. Cris smiled and shook her head.

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.**

"Did you get any?" Sirius asked. "Yes, a bag of chips and a banana." Cris said. Sirius relaxed somewhat but was still worried.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail.**

**Cris privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer her up at all. **

"You are such a pessimist." Hermione said. "I am not." Cris huffed crossing her arms over her chest. "Whatever helps you sleep better." Ron said.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Cris was left to find the softest bit of floor she could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket. **

"She will not be going back Albus." Mrs. Weasley said. "I fully agree with Molly." McGonagall said. "She can stay with me, you are the secret keeper, she will be safe." Sirius said. "Please Professor, let Padfoot take her. I don't want her to step foot in that house ever again." James said. Dumbledore looked in thought so Snape continued reading.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Cris couldn't sleep. She shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, her stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores**

"That's the only thing she doesn't do in her sleep." Ron said with Neville nodding her head. "Nah, I'll leave that to you too." Cris said. They blushed while Snape went on.

**were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Cris she'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. She lay and watched her birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursley's would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

**Five minutes to go. Cris heard something creak outside. She hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although she might be warmer if it did.**

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

"Someone is coming, right?" Charlie asked. "Maybe," Cris said with a smile.

**One minute to go and she'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine — maybe she'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

"Do it!" the pranksters yelled.

— **three… two… one…**

**BOOM.**

**The whole shack shivered and Cris sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in. **

"Is it someone friendly?" Mrs. Weasley and Lily asked. "Read and find out." Cris said. Snape passed the book to Tonks who smiled at the title.

**Author's Note: **

**Voting so far:**

**Cris/Sirius (3)**

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**Cris/Charlie (4)**

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**Please keep voting!**


	5. Chapter 4: Keeper of Keys

"**Chapter 4: Keeper of Keys"** Tonks said. "You meet Hagrid first?" Sirius asked. "Yep," Cris said popping the 'p'. "This should be a good chapter." Remus said.

**BOOM.**

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.**

**"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

"So, no change." George said with a smile.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands – now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them. **

"HE BROUGHT A GUN!" Lily yelled. "Those are dangerous." Remus said quietly, his face pale. "Don't worry, it'll be gone soon." Cris said. Lily and Remus nodded slightly but still worried about the gun.

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!"**

**There was a pause. Then —**

**SMASH!**

"Tonks, could you please yell quieter?" Remus asked. "Sure thing, wolf boy." Tonks said with a flirty smile. Remus blushed and Cris had the idea that they liked each other.

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

**A giant of a man **

"Half-giant, actually." Remus said. "I know that now, thanks to that Skeeter woman." Cris said. Remus smiled and kissed her head.

**was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. **

"That makes him sound scary, Cris." Charlie said. "I didn't write this." Cris said. "I know I'm just giving you a hard time." Charlie said with a smile to the girl.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…" **

"Typical Hagrid." Everyone under thirty-five said shaking their heads. Well those except Percy and Snape of course.

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger. **

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

**"An' here's Cris!" said the giant.**

**Cris looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes." **

"That was the first time I heard that." Cris said. "And definitely not the last." Remus and Sirius said. "It certainly is true; you look like a girl version of me." James said. Cris blushed while Tonks chuckled and went back to the books.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

**"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room. **

"Thank god, I'll have to thank Hagrid for that." Remus said. "Make sure you thank him from me as well Remus." Lily said. Remus nodded and Tonks continued.

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

**"Anyway — Cris," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursley's, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."**

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Cris opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Cris written on it in green icing. **

"You didn't eat it did you?" Ron asked. "You know, I don't think I did. The next few was very informative that I forgot about the cake." Cris said with a smile.

**Cris looked up at the giant. She meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to her mouth, and what she said instead was, "Who are you?" **

"Well at least you meant to say thank you." Mrs. Weasley said. "How would you feel if some giant man, who knew your name and gave you a birthday cake while telling you that you look like your dad but have your mom's eyes?" Cris asked. "I see your point Cris." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

**The giant chuckled.**

**"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."**

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Cris' whole arm.**

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." **

"Hagrid, you will not drink in front of my daughter." Lily snapped. "Don't worry mom, I think he only drank butterbeer." Cris said.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shrivelled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Cris felt the warmth wash over her as though she'd sunk into a hot bath. **

"He's not supposed do magic, since he was expelled." Percy said. "I think he had permission Perce." Bill said with a scowl at his little brother. Cris was seriously hoping that Percy will see the light at the end of the fourth book.

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. **

"That was the butterbeer." Cris said with a smile. "Have you had any yet?" James asked. "Of course, I'm fifteen." Cris said. James smiled and leaned back and wrapped his arm around Lily again.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

**The giant chuckled darkly.**

**"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." He passed the sausages to Cris, who was so hungry **

"You actually ate Hagrid's cooking willingly?" Charlie asked. "It was edible and it tasted so good." Cris said. Charlie shook his head and motioned for Tonks to continue reading.

**she had never tasted anything so wonderful, but she still couldn't take her eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, she said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." **

"Where did you learn your manners from anyway?" Lily asked. "I have no idea." Cris said. Lily shook her head as Tonks continued.

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.**

**"Er — no," said Cris.**

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

**"Sorry," Cris said quickly.**

"You didn't need to apologize Cris," Sirius said. "I was used to it being always my fault." Cris said. "It wasn't your fault sweetie; it was my sister and her husband." Lily said. "Please don't apologize for something that isn't your fault." James said. Cris nodded and leaned into Sirius' side again.

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursley's, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"**

**"All what?" asked Cris.**

"Hagrid isn't going to like that." Padfoot said. "Trust me; it was worth it, but still kind of scary at the same time." Cris said.

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered.**

**"Now wait jus' one second!"**

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursley's were cowering against the wall. **

"You're right, that would have been funny to watch, a complete stranger putting your family in line." Charlie said. "It was funny, watching their reaction." Cris said.

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursley's, "that this girl — this girl! — knows nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?"**

**Cris thought this was going a bit far. She had been to school, after all, true her marks were bad, but that was only because she wasn't aloud to do better than Dudley. **

"Before any of you say anything, Hermione thank you for talking some sense into me." Cris said. "You're welcome Cris. And all it took was me berating you for two and a half years." Hermione said. Cris grinned at her friend as well as everyone else.

"Oi, Ron, I think these two are good influences on you." George said. Ron glared at his brother and George shrank away. "I think he has been hanging around Cris too long." Fred said. George nodded and Tonks continued reading.

**"I know some things," she said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."**

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."**

**"What world?"**

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Cris. "But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

**"What? My — my mum and dad weren't famous, were they?" **

"That's what I hate about it. I'm famous for something that took my parents away; I would rather have them then be famous." Cris said. "Me too pup, me too." Sirius said. Snape was now rethinking his whole respective on Cris.

**"Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Cris with a bewildered stare.**

**"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.**

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the girl anything!"**

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

**"You never told her? Never told her what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer her? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from her all these years?"**

**"Kept what from me?" said Cris eagerly.**

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

**"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Cris — yer a witch."**

**"You shouldn't say that to people, it's not very nice." Cris said. **

"I said the same thing when Severus told me." Lily said. Cris looked bewildered and kept looking between her mom and her potions teacher. "Why isn't that not very nice to say to someone?" Fred asked. "It's another way of cursing someone out. And I don't mean magic, I just mean cussing." Hermione said. "Oh," the twins muttered.

**"No" chuckled Hagrid. "Yeh magical like a girl wizard yer know." Cris looked at him shocked.**

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

**"I'm a witch?" gasped Cris. "Like magic?" **

"Of course, what did you think you were a fairy?" Charlie asked. "Ah, I was hoping to sprout wings and fly around and grant wishes." Cris said with a pout. "That is something I would have said." Lily said with a wide smile. Cris smiled back while Sirius chuckled.

**"O' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good 'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

**Cris stretched out her hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Miss. C. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. She pulled out the letter and read:**

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**_

_**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**_

_**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**_

_**Dear Miss. Potter,**_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**_

_**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Minerva McGonagall,**_

_**Deputy Headmistress**_

**"But that means that magic does exist." she said.**

**"Course it does who told yer that?" said Hagrid, Cris looked at Uncle Vernon who was looking very nervous. **

**"So not only did you not tell her but yer lied an' all?" Hagrid growled. **

**Uncle Vernon shrank further. **

**Questions exploded inside Cris' head like fireworks and she couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes she stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?" **

"That was your first question? Of all the questions to ask that was your first one?" Ron asked. "Well yeah, it was a bit of a time crunch. July 31st is my birthday." Cris said. The people from the past smiled, now they knew when Cris' birthday is.

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl**

"That poor owl." Luna said. Everyone jumped, they forgot that she was here.

— **a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Cris could read upside down:**

_**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**_

_**Given Cris her letter.**_

_**Taking her to buy her things tomorrow.**_

_**Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**_

_**Hagrid**_

"You can read it upside down? I can barely read it right side up." Ron said.

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. **

"That's because it is. I know, I know." Cris said with a smile. "I think we are beginning to get predictable." Fred whispered to George. "I agree, we need to figure something out." George whispered back.

**Cris realized her mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

**"She's not going," he said.**

**Hagrid grunted.**

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop her," he said.**

**"A what?" asked Cris, interested.**

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call non magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on." **

"Agreed," Ron, Fred, George and Mr. Weasley said. "When did you guys meet them?" Sirius asked. "Before the World Cup, they came to pick me up using the floo system." Cris said. Sirius nodded, he understood it but the people from the past didn't.

**"We swore when we took her in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of her! Witch indeed!"**

**"You knew?" said Cris. "You knew I'm a — a witch?" **

"You kept your temper?" Hermione asked with complete shock. "I was a shocked, I mean who wouldn't be?" Cris said. "True." Hermione said.

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. **

"Who knew you had it in you, Lils." James said with a smiled. "It's just to show our parents how much we are learning." Hermione said. "That isn't fair." Padfoot muttered. "Tough luck mini me." Sirius said. Padfoot looked at his older self with shock. "I've always wanted to say that." Sirius said with a bark like laugh. Tonks shook her head and continued reading.

**I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak!**

"I hate it when she calls me that." Lily mumbled. James wrapped his arm tighter around her as she leaned into him. Sirius and Remus looked furious.

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —abnormal — and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

"That's how you found out?" Sirius asked his voice shaking. "Yeah," Cris mumbled. Sirius brought her closer as Lily and James both had tears in their eyes. "I can't wait to see what Hagrid does to these muggles." Bill and Charlie snarled.

**Cris had gone very white. As soon as she found his voice she said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"**

"I still can't believe that you didn't know." Moody said. "This should be good." Sirius said.

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursley's scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Cristal Potter not knowin' her own story when every kid in our world knows her name!"**

**"But why? What happened?" Cris asked urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

"I wouldn't want to be Hagrid; it would be difficult to explain to an eleven year old that everything she knew about her parents was a lie." Mr. Weasley said. "Hagrid did a pretty good job of it Mr. Weasley." Cris said.

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Cris, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." **

"That would have been bad." Cris said. "Yeah," Ron said. "Either you, the twins or some other person would have had to tell me." Cris said. "I think I'm glad that Hagrid told her, right Gred." George said. "Right Forge." Fred said.

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursley's.**

**"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…"**

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —"**

**"Who?"**

**"Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

**"Why not?"**

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Cris, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…"**

"He won't tell you." Charlie said.

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

**"Could you write it down?" Cris suggested.**

**"Nah — can't spell it. All right —**_**Voldemort**_**. " **

"She got him to say it." Charlie said astonished. "What can I say, Cris does the impossible." Ron said. "Thanks Ronnie, I love you too." Cris said. "Don't call me Ronnie." Ron said with a glare towards her. Cris grinned as Tonks went on.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Cris. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.**

**"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! **

"How did that happen?" James, Padfoot, and Moony asked. "I have no idea and it's been eighteen years." Sirius said. "Ew, I'm old." Padfoot said. "I'm still young at heart even though I spent twelve years in Azkaban and the last two years on the run." Sirius said. "You know you're older self is right. You should be glad to still be alive after spending some time with Dementors." Moony said. Padfoot nodded and Tonks went back to the book.

**Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore **

"Oh he tried," Remus said. James and Lily paled. "He did?" they asked. "Yeah, we said no way in hell and then we joined the Order of the Phoenix." Sirius said. "He even asked me even though I'm a muggleborn?" Lily asked. "Yeah, he said he'd look past it." Remus said. The people from the past paled even more so Tonks took that and continued.

**ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.**

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —" **

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — I knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anywa… **

"Hagrid is so sweet." Lily said. "Yeah," James said with a sad smile.

**"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. **

"Why couldn't he?" Lily asked. "It was because of you mom, you saved me and I lived because of your sacrifice." Cris said. Lily ran to her daughter and hugged her tightly. "Of course I would, you are my baby girl and I would do anything for you. Even though at the moment I'm not your mother I will be and we will change all of this and possibly get rid of Voldemort sooner." Lily said. Cris smiled and sat back down between Sirius and Remus who had silent tears running down their faces. Cris hugged them both while Tonks continued.

**Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Cris.**

**No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnon's,**

"Not Marlene!" Lily cried. Sirius had more tears running down his face. "I was planning on asking Marley to marry me." Sirius said. "Oh Sirius," Lily said as she hugged him as well. Cris curled up next to him and hugged him tightly.

**the Bones, **

"All of them?" Moony asked, his face pale. "No, Amelia is still alive as well as her niece Susan." Hermione said.

**the Prewett's **

"Not Gideon and Fabian?" Padfoot and James asked. Molly nodded and their faces paled even more. "I'm so sorry Molly." Moony said. Molly smiled a watery smile while Mr. Weasley comforted her.

— **an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."**

**Something very painful was going on in Cris' mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, she saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than she had ever remembered it before — and she remembered something else, for the first time in her life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. **

Everyone's faces paled. "You weren't lying." Percy said. "Why would I lie about something like that?" Cris asked. "How do you remember that?" James asked. "Sometimes, young children can remember the most tragic events clearer than some adults." Lily said. Sirius hugged Cris tighter to him.

**Hagrid was watching her sadly.**

**"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…."**

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Cris jumped; she had almost forgotten that the Dursley's were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

**"Now, you listen here, girl," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured **

Cris flinched and Sirius growled. "He won't be able to touch from now on, Crisy, I promise." Sirius said. Many of the people in the room growled at that as well and both Remus' looked ready to kill.

— **and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion **

"No it's not!" Padfoot, Sirius, Moony and Remus yelled. James and Lily smiled appreciated to their protective friends.

— **asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"**

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat.**

**Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…" **

"Get him Hagrid!" the twins and Charlie yelled. Cris smiled, they are going to love what Hagrid does to Dudley.

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

**"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Cris, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" **

"I forgot that you didn't always say the name." Ron said with a smile. "And how long did that last?" Cris asked. "Not very long." Ron sighed. Cris smiled as Tonks shook her with a smile and continued with the chapter.

**"Good question, Cris. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go?**

**"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion.**

"I wonder if Hagrid is a seer." Ron said. "No, but we have some." Mr. Weasley said. "That makes so much sense." Cris said. "Why?" the Weasley's asked. "Just some of the things that Ron had said came true." Cris and Hermione said. Ron blushed while everyone looked thoughtful.

"He isn't back." Percy hissed. "Why would I lie about something like that, Perce?" Cris asked. "Don't call me that." Percy hissed while his parents looked at him sadly. They hoped he'll come around at the end of the fourth book.

**Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die.**

"He surely didn't look human." Cris said. "What do you mean?" James, Lily and Padfoot asked. "He kind of looked like he was part snake. He didn't have a nose but slits instead and his eyes were blood red and he was white as a sheet." Cris said. Everyone cringed at the description.

**Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. **

**"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Cris. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — I dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Cris with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Cris, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. **

"Oh pup, you need to stop thinking like this." Sirius said. "I'll not too." Cris said with a sheepish smile.

**A witch? Her? How could she possibly be? She'd spent her life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if she was really a witch, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock her in her cupboard? **

"Because it doesn't work like that." Everyone said. "I know that now," Cris said with a blush.

**If she'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick her around like a football?**

**"Hagrid," she said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a witch."**

**To her surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

**"Not a witch, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?" **

"YES!" the twins shouted making Moony and Remus cover their ears.

**Cris looked into the fire. Now she came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made her aunt and uncle furious with her had happened when she, Cris, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, she had somehow found herself out of their reach… dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, she'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit her, hadn't she got her revenge, without even realizing she was doing it? Hadn't she set a boa constrictor on him? **

"Which was brilliant. You earned some Marauder points." James said. Cris grinned, happy that she made her dad proud.

**Cris looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at her.**

**"See?" said Hagrid. "Cristal Potter, not a witch — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

"Wish I wasn't." Cris mumbled into Sirius' side. Sirius rubbed her back while Tonks went on.

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

**"Haven't I told you she's not going?" he hissed. "She's going to Stonewall High and she'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and she needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —"**

**"If she wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop her," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's daughter goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. Her name's been down ever since she was born. **

"Everyone with a magical core in the UK has their name down." McGonagall said.

**She's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and she won't know herself. She'll be with youngsters of her own sort, fer a change, an' she'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—" **

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HER MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!" He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Cris saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers. **

Everyone was laughing; the twins and the young marauders were rolling on the floor.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do." **

More laughter proceeded.

**He cast a sideways look at Cris under his bushy eyebrows.**

**"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job." **

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Cris.**

**"Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." **

**"Why were you expelled?"**

"He won't tell you." Bill, Charlie, the twins and both sets of the marauders said. Ron, Hermione and Cris shared a smirk. "How did you find out?" Bill asked. "Second year." Cris said. "Why?" the twins and the marauders asked. "Not telling." The trio said. "You are too nosy for your own good." Sirius said. "I blame her parents." Remus said. James and Lily blushed while everyone laughed.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town; get all yer books an' that."**

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Cris.**

**"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets."**

"That's that, Kings it's your turn." Tonks said. Kingsley took the book and opened it to the fifth chapter.

**Author's Note:**

**Voting So Far:**

**Cris/Sirius (4)**

**Cris/Fred (8)**

**Cris/Charlie (5)**

**Cris/George (1)**

**Fred/Cris/George (8)**

**Please continue, I will choose in a few chapters! **


	6. Chapter 5: Diagon Alley

"**Chapter 5: Diagon Alley," **Kingsley said. "Yea, it's your first trip." Hermione said. "It should have us taking her the first time." Lily whispered, tears in her eyes. "I know, at least she's alive." James said. Lily nodded and Kingsley continued.

**Cris woke early the next morning. Although she could tell it was daylight, she kept her eyes shut tight.**

_**It was a dream, **_**she told herself firmly**_**. I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard. **_

"You are such a pessimist." Hermione said. "Someone has to be in our group." Cris said. "True," Hermione said while Ron nodded.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

_**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door**_**, Cris thought, her heart sinking. **

"That should have been your first clue, Petunia doesn't tap on anything." Lily said. Cris smiled sheepishly at her mom. With a chuckle Kingsley continued.

**But she still didn't open her eyes. It had been such a good dream. **

"It wasn't a dream, Prongslet." Padfoot said. Cris grinned at the younger version of her godfather.

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

**"All right," Cris mumbled, "I'm getting up."**

**She sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off her. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.**

**Cris scrambled to her feet, so happy she felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside her. **

"A balloon? That's a good idea." Fred said. George smiled and wrote it down on another piece of paper. Cris glared and Fred's smile faded.

**She went straight to the window and jerked it open.**

**The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

**"Don't do that." **

"It wants paying sweetie." Lily said. "I know that now mom," Cris said. Lily blushed that almost matched her hair color.

**Cris tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at her and carried on savaging the coat.**

**"Hagrid!" said Cris loudly. "There's an owl —"**

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

**"What?"**

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."**

"Don't get lost," Charlie said. "Yeah, Hagrid has hundreds of pockets in his coat." Padfoot said. "I didn't get lost, I'm here." Cris said. They grinned sheepishly and Kingsley started reading again.

**Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags… finally, Cris pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily. **

"Oh Hagrid, she won't know." James said. "We know James, we know." Lily said patting his hand.

**"Knuts?"**

**"The little bronze ones."**

**Cris counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Cris could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched. **

"Then why did he…." Ron started. "It was to get her used to our currency Ronald." Percy said. Ron blushed but glared at his traitor brother.

**"Best be off, Cris, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."**

**Cris was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. She had just thought of something that made her feel as though the happy balloon inside her had got a puncture. **

"Not the balloon!" the twins and the past marauders yelled. "Shut up." Cris glared at the five of them. The instantly shut up.

"Your daughter is scary." Padfoot whispered. "I know she gets it from her mother." James whispered back. "I see James in her as well, especially her smirk and the glint in her eyes." Moony whispered. "Geez, just what we need." Padfoot said. "I feel sorry for your future selves." James said.

**"Um — Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

**"I haven't got any money — and you heard Uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for me to go and learn magic." **

"No, you have money. The Potter family is one of the richest families in the wizarding world." James said. Cris looked uncomfortable, she didn't realize that she was that rich. "You'll have even more when I die; I named you as my heir soon after you were born." Sirius said.

"But that would only happen if I'm the only Black left." Padfoot said. "I am Reggie died a year after graduating from school." Sirius said. "No, how?" Padfoot asked his face was pale. "He joined the death eaters when he was sixteen, I'm not entirely sure how he died, there was never a body recovered. We're not sure if Voldemort killed him for trying to get out or some other DE." Sirius said. "I can change this right?" Padfoot asked. Sirius nodded and Kingsley went back to reading to lift the heavy mood while James and Moony were comforting Padfoot.

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

**"But if their house was destroyed —"**

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, Cris! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold — an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither." **

"Did you actually eat it?" Ron asked. "I had some of the sausages. Which was pretty good cold." Cris said.

**"Wizards have banks?"**

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."**

**Cris dropped the bit of sausage she was holding. **

"It is a bit shocking but not as shocking as actually seeing them." Hermione said. "No kidding." Lily said. Cris smiled and leaned into Sirius again. It was nice to spend time with everyone.

**"**_**Goblins**_**?"**

**"Yeah — so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Cris.**

**Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you — gettin' things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see." **

"Hagrid is a trust worthy guy, as long as you don't get him drunk." Moony said. "Or Flatter him." Cris and Hermione said. The adults groaned while the past marauders looked proud at Cris.

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then." Cris followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

**"How did you get here?" Cris asked, looking around for another boat.**

**"Flew," said Hagrid. **

"Flew?" many people asked. "I still can't figure out how, unless he took a thestral or a hippogriff. Although, I think it is more thestral." Cris said. "Indeed Miss Potter." Dumbledore said with a small smile in her direction but not directly at her. Cris was kind of upset at that, wondering why the headmaster was ignoring her, maybe it was the incident with the dementors.

**"**_**Flew**_**?"**

**"Yeah — but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."**

**They settled down in the boat, Cris still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying. **

"Still can't," Cris said. Then Lily's and Hermione's faces lit up. "What?" Cris and James asked. "Mary Poppins." Lily and Hermione said. Cris laughed along with Sirius, Remus, Moony and Tonks. "Who's Mary Poppins?" Ron asked. "She's a nanny, she has this umbrella and she flies with it." Hermione said. Now everyone was laughing, picturing Hagrid and his pink umbrella flying. When everyone was calm again Kingsley continued to read.

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Cris another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter — er — speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?" **

"Oops," Cris said blushing. "Technically you didn't say anything a book did." Hermione said. Cris grinned as Sirius chuckled.

**"Of course not," said Cris, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Cris asked.**

**"Spells — enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons' guardin' the high security vaults.**

"There better not be." Charlie said glaring at Bill. "I'm not a liberty say whether or not there is a dragon down there." Bill said. Charlie was still glaring at Bill when Kingsley went back to the book.

**And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

"Why do I get the feeling that Cris, Ron and Hermione will be trying to rob Gringotts sooner or leader?" Sirius asked. "Because they probably will." The twins said. Sirius groaned while Cris hugged her godfather to try and comfort him.

**Cris sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Cris had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, she'd never had so many questions in her life. **

"That hasn't changed." Hermione said. "Hey!" Cris cried. Hermione grinned while Cris chucked a pillow at her.

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual,"**

"Well that hasn't changed." Cris said. "No kidding," Sirius said. "I'll have you know that we do the best we can from the lies you've been spewing." Percy said. "Sure, while they're at that they'll chuck people into Azkaban with no trial whatsoever." Cris said. "They threw Padfoot into Azkaban with no trial?" James asked pale. "No, they didn't give him a trial, they should have but they didn't." Mr. Weasley said. James nodded but had no words.

**Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Bella asked, before she could stop himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

"The Minister did not do that." Percy snarled. "I assure you, he did for the first few years." Dumbledore said. Percy's ears turned red as Kingsley continued.

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?" **

"Nothing!" Cris and the younger Weasley's and Hermione yelled. "Why do you hate them?" Lily asked. "Other than the fact I was almost expelled for protecting myself and Dudley from dementors and throwing Sirius into Azkaban for something he didn't do." Cris said. Lily's face grew from curious to furious at that, if the minister was there heaven help him.

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

**"Why?"**

**"Why? Blimey, Cris, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." **

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.**

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Cris couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Cris? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"**

"Oh Hagrid, I hope no one grew suspicious." Lily said. "I'm not sure." Mr. Weasley said. "No one was called to obliviate anybody so I don't so." Tonks said.

**"Hagrid," said Cris, panting a bit as she ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"**

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

**"You'd like one?"**

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go." **

Cris, Ron and Hermione smirked a bit.

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the notes to Cris so she could buy their tickets. **

"Muggle money is still a bit easier." Lily said. "Yeah, at least they have numbers on them. While we have to remember a certain amount of sickles to a galleon and another amount of knuts to a sickle. It can get confusing." Hermione said.

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent. **

"What was that for?" Ron asked. "A bed for Fang I think." Cris said. Some of the kids chuckled.

**"Still got yer letter, Cris?" he asked as he counted stitches.**

**Cris took the parchment envelope out of her pocket.**

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."**

**Cris unfolded a second piece of paper she hadn't noticed the night before, and read:**

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**_

_**UNIFORM**_

_**First-year students will require:**_

_**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**_

_**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**_

_**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**_

_**4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**_

_**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags**_

_**COURSE BOOKS**_

_**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**_

_**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk**_

_**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**_

_**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**_

_**A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch**_

_**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**_

_**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**_

_**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**_

_**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**_

_**OTHER EQUIPMENT**_

_**1 wand**_

_**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**_

_**1 set of glass or crystal phials**_

_**1 telescope set**_

_**1 brass scales**_

_**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**_

_**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**_

"I've always hated that rule." James grumbled. Cris shared a secret smile with McGonagall who smiled at her at her.

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Cris wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

**Cris had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow. **

"Hagrid," Bill chuckled.

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops. **

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Cris had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursley's had cooked up? **

"Your forgetting one thing, they don't approve of imagination." Fred said. Fred grinned at Cris which made her blush, "I know that Fred." Cris said.

**If Cris hadn't known that the Dursley's had no sense of humor, she might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told her so far was unbelievable, Cris couldn't help trusting him. **

"That's why I asked him to go and get you." Dumbledore said. Cris smiled at him, thankful because Hagrid became her first friend.

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."**

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Cris wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Cris had the most peculiar feeling that only she and Hagrid could see it. **

"You are, it has the same charms that Hogwarts has on it." Hermione said. Cris rolled her eyes at her friend, she knew that now.

**Before she could mention this, Hagrid had steered her inside.**

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. **

"He's still there?" James and Padfoot asked. "Yeah, he seems very friendly as ever." Remus said. Everyone chuckled at that.

**The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Cris' shoulder and making Cris' knees buckle.**

"He doesn't know his own strength some times." James said chuckling over at Padfoot and Sirius. Padfoot was rubbing his chest while Sirius was shaking his head at the memory of being hugged by Hagrid.

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Cris, "is this — can this be —?"**

**The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent. **

"That's got to be a first." James said. "And I hate it." Cris said. Sirius hugged her close giving the little comfort that he can.

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Cristal Potter… what an honor."**

**He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Cris and seized her hand, tears in his eyes.**

**"Welcome back, Miss. Potter, welcome back." **

**Cris didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at her. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Cris found herself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron. **

"That was completely awkward, I know Hagrid explained it to me, but I guess I was hoping that I wasn't that famous." Cris said. "I can understand that." Sirius said.

**"Doris Crockford, Miss. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

**"So proud, Miss. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter."**

**"Delighted, Miss. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

**"I've seen you before!" said Cris, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop!"**

**"She remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? She remembers me!" **

"You just made his day." Tonks said with a smile. "I know," Cris said.

**Cris shook hands again and again — Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching. **

"I really should have suspecting him." Cris mumbled too low for anyone to hear.

**"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Cris, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Bella's hand,**

"I forgot he touched me there, that means it was after this that Voldemort attached himself to him." Cris said. "It makes sense; he doesn't have the turban on." Hermione said. "How do you know he doesn't have it on?" Ron asked. "It didn't say anything about it." Bill said, he was wondering what in the world they were talking about.

**"c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you." **

"Sure you were," Cris growled.

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it.**

**"N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought. **

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Cris to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

**"Must get on — lots ter buy. Come on, Cris."**

**Doris Crockford shook Cris' hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.**

**Hagrid grinned at Cris.**

**"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

"I still can't believe that he was faking it." Hermione said. "I know it was so bloody annoying." Cris said. "Wait, that stutter was fake?" Fred asked. "You'll see." Cris said. The twins huffed while Cris grinned mischievously.

**"Is he always that nervous?"**

**"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag — never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where's me umbrella?" **

**Vampires? Hags? Cris' head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

**"Three up… two across…" he muttered. "Right, stand back, Cris."**

**He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."**

**He grinned at Cris' amazement. They stepped through the archway. Cris looked quickly over her shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

"Don't get the collapsible." Remus and Moony shouted. "Bad experience Remus?" Cris asked. The both of them blushed as James, Padfoot, Sirius and Lily laughed.

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Cris wished she had about eight more eyes.**

Ron shuddered; Cris gave him a warm smile.

**She turned her head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad…"**

"Was that you, mom?" Ginny asked. "I think it might have been." Mrs. Weasley said.

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Cris' age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Cris heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever —" **

"Stop and get a look at it!" James and Padfoot shouted. The both of them were practically drooling. Cris laughed and her father and her younger godfather while they threw her a look.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Cris had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was —**

**"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Cris. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Cris noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:**

_**Enter, stranger, but take heed**_

_**Of what awaits the sin of greed,**_

_**For those who take, but do not earn,**_

_**Must pay most dearly in their turn.**_

_**So if you seek beneath our floors**_

_**A treasure that was never yours,**_

_**Thief, you have been warned, beware**_

_**Of finding more than treasure there.**_

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

"I still think that at some point these three will try and rob the place." George said. "They are crazy enough to do it." Fred said.

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Cris made for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Miss. Cristal Potter's safe."**

**"You have her key, sir?"**

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. **

**Cris watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.**

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.**

**The goblin looked at it closely.**

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." **

"Hagrid!" said the adults and teachers. "Why is that such a bad thing?" James asked. "Cristal has both of your curiosities combined; it makes her very nosy for her own good." Remus said. Cris blushed and hid her face while Sirius chuckled. "I feel so sorry for you." Padfoot said.

**The goblin read the letter carefully.**

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"**

**Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Cris followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Cris asked.**

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that." **

"Hagrid," groaned Remus and Sirius. Cris grinned sheepishly again. "It's not your fault; it's your parents fault." Sirius said. "Hey!" Lily and James shouted. They pouted while everyone else chuckled.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Cris, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in — Hagrid with some difficulty — and were off.**

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Cris tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. **

"That's the point, but it's impressive that you remembered that much." Bill said. Cris grinned and a flush of embarrassment spread across her face.

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.**

**Cris' eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but she kept them wide open. Once, she thought she saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late **

"They're better not be." Charlie growled.

— **they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

**"I never know," Cris called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"**

Lily and Hermione opened their mouths but Ron and James covered their mouths. "I'm sure that Hagrid explained it fine Lily-flower." James said. "Don't call me that James." Lily said.

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," **

"See, Hagrid explained it fine mom." Cris said. "That isn't what I was going to say." Lily and Hermione said.

**said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."**

**He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Cris gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts. **

"Please, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, I would be more than happy to help you out. I wouldn't mind." Cris said. "No Cris, we couldn't take it." Mr. Weasley said. "Please Arthur, Molly, she has more than enough." James said. "We'll think about it James, we consider Cris a part of family." Mrs. Weasley said. Lily and James smiled, happy that their daughter found a family that loved her.

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

**All Cris' — it was incredible. The Dursley's couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from her faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Cris cost them to keep? **

Everyone growled again.

**And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to her, buried deep under London. Hagrid helped Cris pile some of it into a bag.**

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms; we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

**"One speed only," said Griphook.**

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Cris leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom,**

"You don't have any fear, do you?" Lily asked looking at her daughter. "Maybe," Cris said. "Oh, dear god." James said. "Her boggart isn't even Voldemort." Remus said. "You really aren't scared of him?" James asked he was secretly proud of his daughter. Cris shook her head and Kingsley kept reading.

**but Hagrid groaned and pulled her back by the scruff of her neck.**

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Cris asked.**

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Cris was sure, and she leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first she thought it was empty. Then she noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. **

"The Philosopher's Stone." Remus said. "What?" Cris asked. "The Philosopher's Stone, that's what the package is." Moony said. "No fair," Ron grumbled. "It took us months to figure it out." Cris grumbled. "We had help; it's the title of the book." Remus said. "At least he had help." Hermione murmured. Remus laughed at their faces as they scowled at both he and his younger self.

**Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Cris longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

**"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid. **

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Cris didn't know where to run first now that she had a bag full of money. She didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that she was holding more money than she'd had in her whole life — more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Cris, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Cris entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous. **

"Why did he leave you alone?" Lily asked. "I didn't get into any trouble; I can tell you that I didn't make a friend though." Cris said. Lily looked confused but contented with finding out from the book.

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

**"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Cris started to speak. "Got the lot here — a young man being fitted up just now, in fact."**

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face **

"Malfoy," the twins and the trio scowled at the book. "That idiot reproduced?" James asked. "You knew him?" Cris asked. "Barely, he was in his seventh year when we started at Hogwarts." Moony said. "Padfoot knew him a bit better though." James said. "I wish I didn't. I can't believe he married Cissa." Sirius said. "As much as I love talking about our family can we please continue?" Tonks asked. Kingsley continued without arguing.

**was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Cris on a stool next to him slipped a long robe over her head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

**"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

**"Yes," said Cris.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. **

"What's the point in that if the wand chooses the wizard?" Lily asked. "I have no idea; this is Malfoy we are talking about." Cris said. "You really hate him don't you?" James asked. "Hate him, no, I think he's cute. Yes I hate him." Cris said with a slight smirk. Her father looked shocked when she said he was cute. "Well, he is pretty good looking, but I do go with guys who run to their father whenever we defend ourselves." Cris said. "I'm with you there." Ginny and Hermione said.

**He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

**Cris was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

"We should totally tell him that, I'd pay to see the look on his face from being compared to a 'filthy Muggles'. " Ron said. Cris got a mischievous glint in her eyes again, she was planning something.

**"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Cris.**

James looked ready to faint

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

**"No," Cris said again. **

James fell out of his chair, pretending to cry in anguish. "My own blood, not knowing what Quidditch is!" he cried. Cris looked mischievous again and looked up at Sirius. He got the hint and nodded his head in understanding. The silent message was passed around the pranksters while Kingsley went back to reading.

**wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

"Do you at least like it? Even though you can't fly, do you like the game?" James asked his eyes pleading. Cris frowned and shook her head. "I hate the game, this git talks nothing but that idiotic game." Cris said pointing at Ron. Ron huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, determined to keep a straight face to keep from laughing. James' face fell again in horror; his own daughter didn't like Quidditch. "I blame you being raised by Muggles." James mumbled heartbrokenly.

**"I do — Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

**"No," said Cris, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been — imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"**

"There's nothing wrong with Hufflepuffs." Tonks said. "So you went in Hufflepuff like your dad?" Padfoot asked. "Yep, and I'm proud of it." Tonks said glaring at her cousin to get her point across. Padfoot cowered and motioned for Kingsley to continue.

**"Mmm," said Cris, wishing she could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Cris and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

"That was nice of him." Lily and Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

**"That's Hagrid," said Cris, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Cris. She was liking the boy less and less every second.**

"Don't worry, we are too." Sirius said putting an arm around her again.

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage — lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

**"I think he's brilliant," said Cris coldly.**

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

**"They're dead," said Cris shortly. She didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all.**

"That little ferret!" Sirius shouted. The trio started along the twins. "Fourth book," Cris gasped out.

**"But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

"Good answer," Remus said with a light smile on his lips.

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you?**

More people scowled at the book.

**They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

**But before Cris could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's it you're done, my dear," and Cris, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

**Cris was rather quiet as she ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought her (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

"My favorite." James and Lily said. They smiled along with Cris, she was happy to find out the more things she had in common with her parents.

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Cris lied.**

**They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Cris cheered up a bit when she found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, she said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

**"Blimey, Cris, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know — not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Cris. She told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.**

**"— and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in —"**

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were — he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like — like soccer in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"No it's not!" James and Padfoot yelled. James still looked sad that his daughter didn't like his favorite sport.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but —"**

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Cris gloomily.**

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin.**

"I can name one." Cris, Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Remus said with a dark look towards the book. "Who?" Padfoot and James asked. "You'll find out," Sirius said with a sigh, they will not like this one bit.

**You-Know-Who was one."**

**"Vol-, sorry —You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

**They bought Cris' school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Cris away from **_**Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**_

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

"I approve," both sets of the marauders said earning a glare from McGonagall. They smiled innocently and she just shook her head.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

**Hagrid wouldn't let Cris buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Cris, Cris herself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Cris' list again.**

**"Just yer wand left — A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

**"You don't have to —"**

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at**

"Yeah Neville," Cris said with a grin. "Hey, I happen to like Trevor. Even though he does get away from me." Neville said with a grin back at her.

— **an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls; they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."**

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Cris now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. Cris couldn't stop stammering her thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell. **

"So that's how you got Hedwig," Hermione said with a smile. Cris nodded with a grin, she loves her owl.

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursley's. Just Ollivander's left now — only place fer wands, Ollivander's, and yeh gotta have the best wand."**

**A magic wand… this was what Bella had been really looking forward to. **

"I think everyone does." Lily said with a smile. Cris smiled back but she was worried, what would they think when they find out about her wand?

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Cris felt strangely as though she had entered a very strict library; she swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to her and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of her neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

"You could feel that?" Moody asked. "Um, yeah. I thought everyone could." Cris said. "Not everyone my dear, few people can and the ones who can have a lot of power." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes.

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Cris jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair. **

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

**"Hello," said Cris awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Cristal Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."**

"How does he remember this?" Lily asked. "I'm not sure. I think he might use a memory charm or he has a very good memory." Dumbledore said.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Cris. Cris wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."**

"Do you think he knows?" James whispered to Padfoot and Moony. "I don't know maybe," Padfoot whispered. "But how could he, unless you guys registered in the future." Moony whispered. "I don't think so; I think that is what I did to break out of Azkaban." Padfoot whispered. Moony nodded in thought while Kingsley continued to read.

**Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Cris were almost nose to nose. Cris could see herself reflected in those misty eyes.**

"Creepy," Neville said with a shudder. "No kidding," Cris muttered.

**"And that's where…"**

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Cris' forehead with a long, white finger. **

"Why did he touch it?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "I have no idea." Cris said. "Can we?" the twins asked. "Absolutely not!" Cris snarled, glaring at them. They shut up immediately under the glare much to the amusement of their siblings and parents.

**"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"**

"Nobody could have known, no one is born evil, they choose to be." Cris said. "Well said Cristal." Dumbledore said with a smile.

**He shook his head and then, to Cris' relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

**"Er — yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

**"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Cris noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

"Of course not, he would never." Fred said. "It's not like we've seen him use it three times so far." George said with a smile.

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now — Miss. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

**"Er — well, I'm right-handed," said Cris.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Cris from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

**Cris suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between her nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Miss. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."**

**Cris took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of her hand almost at once.**

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —"**

**Cris tried — but she had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

**"No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Cris tried. And tried. She had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

**Cris took the wand. She felt a sudden warmth in her fingers.**

**She raised the wand above her head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks**

"Gryffindor colors!" the past marauders yelled. Cris grinned but still felt very worried.

**shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.**

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…"**

**He put Cris' wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious… curious…"**

**"Sorry," said Cris, "but what's curious?"**

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Cris with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you that scar." **

"Holy shit!" was heard throughout the room and nobody reprimanded them. "Why didn't you tell us?" Hermione asked looking at her friend, whose hair went back to black. "I didn't know how to tell anybody." Cris said. "True, that would have been a very awkward conversation." Ron said. "On the plus, it saved my life back in June, without it I'd probably be dead." Cris said. Lily and James paled, what on earth happened last June to almost kill their baby girl?

"Now that that's out of the way can we continue, there is very little left of this chapter?" Kingsley asked. Everyone nodded and he continued.

**Cris swallowed.**

**"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Miss. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."**

**Cris shivered. She wasn't sure she liked Mr. Ollivander too much. She paid seven gold Galleons for her wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Cris and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Cris didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; she didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Cris' lap.**

**Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Cris only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped her on the shoulder.**

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Cris a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Cris kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"I think all muggleborns and raised feel the same way." Hermione said.

**"You all right, Cris? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Cris wasn't sure she could explain. She'd just had the best birthday of her life — and yet — she chewed her hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," she said at last. **

**"All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night my parents died."**

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile. **

**"Don' you worry, Cris. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, 'smatter of fact."**

"That's pretty good advice." James said, Cris smiled at her dad and curled into her godfather's side once again.

**Hagrid helped Cris on to the train that would take her back to the Dursley's, then handed her an envelope.**

**"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September — King's Cross — it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursley's, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me…. See yeh soon, Cris."**

**The train pulled out of the station. Cris wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; she rose in her seat and pressed her nose against the window, but she blinked and Hagrid had gone. **

"That's it." Kingsley said. "Hagrid forgot to tell her how to get onto the platform!" Lily said in a panicked voice. "Don't worry mom, I get on okay." Cris said. Lily sighed in relief as Kingsley passed the book to Moody.

**Author's Note:**

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	7. Chapter 6: Journey From Platform9 34

"**Chapter 6: Journey From Platform 9 3/4" **Moody read. "Thank god, you get out of there." James said. "Yep, met some pretty nice people as well." Cris said. She grinned over at the Weasley's who grinned back at her, well not Percy.

**Cris' last month with the Dursley's wasn't fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of Cris, he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Cris in her cupboard, force her to do anything, or shout at her — in fact, they didn't speak to her at all. **

"Well there's that at least." James said. "I got a bit lonely after a while." Cris said with a shrug. "I imagine it would." Lily said.

**Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Cris in it were empty.**

"Yeah, I guess it would be lonely," Ron said with a frown. "Don't worry, I don't feel like that now." Cris said with a smile. "I would hope not, we follow you around all the time at Hogwarts." Hermione said. "Yeah, I appreciate it." Cris said. They smiled and nodded at her.

**Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while. Cris kept to her room, with her new owl for company. She had decided to call her Hedwig, a name she had found in A History of Magic. Her school books were very interesting. **

"Traitor!" the twins and Ron shouted. "What, I was bored and excited to learn more about the wizarding world." Cris said. "Me too." Lily and Hermione said. The three of them smiled at each other.

**She lay on her bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. Every night before she went to sleep, Cris ticked off another day on the piece of paper she had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first. **

"I think everyone did that." Remus chuckled. Cris smiled, relieved that she wasn't the only one.

**On the last day of August he thought she'd better speak to her aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, **

"Smart, give them less of a chance to say no." Moody said. Cris blushed while Sirius hugged her tighter.

**so she went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. She cleared her throat to let them know she was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room. **

Everyone laughed, "Just think, if that's all it takes then we should have a lot of fun." Fred said. "Right you are Gred." George said.

**"Er — Uncle Vernon?"**

**Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

**"Er — I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to — to go to Hogwarts."**

**Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

**"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"**

**Grunt. Cris supposed that meant yes. **

"Geez Cris, you're talented. I didn't know you knew three languages." Fred said. "Well troll is easy to speak and understand, remember?" Cris asked. "Yep, so does that mean your uncle is part troll?" George asked. "I wouldn't be surprised." Lily and Cris said.

**"Thank you."**

**She was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.**

**"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?" **

"Nope, they are illegal." Lily said. "Which is no fun; they would be so much fun to ride on." James whined.

**Cris didn't say anything.**

**"Where is this school, anyway?"**

**"I don't know," said Cris, realizing this for the first time. She pulled the ticket Hagrid had given her out of her pocket.**

**"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," she read.**

**Her aunt and uncle stared.**

"Petunia knows how to get on," Lily said. Cris smiled reassuringly at her mom who smiled back at her.

**"Platform what?"**

**"Nine and three-quarters."**

**"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."**

**"It's on my ticket."**

**"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, **

"That's offensive." Sirius and Padfoot said. Everyone who knew tried to stifle a snicker.

**"howling mad, **

"That's offensive," Remus and Moony said. Everyone laughed at that.

**the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."**

**"Why are you going to London?" Cris asked, trying to keep things friendly. **

"I shouldn't have even bothered." Cris mumbled. Sirius and Remus rubbed soothing circles on her back.

**"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."**

"Ah, he should keep it." James said. "Yeah, it gives him more personality." Padfoot said. People laughed while Moody grunted, he wanted to finish this chapter.

**Cris woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. **

"I did too." Lily said. Cris smiled, she was learning more and more about how her and parents had in common.

**She got up and pulled on her jeans because she didn't want to walk into the station in her wizard's robes —**

"Smart," Lily said.

**she'd change on the train. She checked her Hogwarts list yet again to make sure she had everything she needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room; waiting for the Dursley's to get up.**

**Two hours later, Cris' huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursley's' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Cris, and they had set off.**

**They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Cris' trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for her. **

"That's oddly nice of him," Lily said. "What's he planning?" James asked. The both of them were dreading finding out what Vernon did to their daughter.

**Cris thought this was strangely kind Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.**

**"Well, there you are, girl. Platform nine — platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?" **

"That bastard, please tell me he didn't leave you there." Lily said. "Sorry mom, but then I would be lying." Cris said. Lily snuggled up to James, trying to calm herself down.

**He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.**

**"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Cris turned and saw the Dursley's drive away. All three of them were laughing. **

"That son of a bitch, Petunia knows she knows how to get onto the platform." Lily cried. James soothed her while Moody continued.

**Cris' mouth went rather dry. What on earth was she going to do? She was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. She'd have to ask someone. She stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters.**

**The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Cris couldn't even tell her what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Cris was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Cris asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one.**

**In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Cris was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, she had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and she had no idea how to do it; she was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk she could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl. **

"Please tell me that you don't do something stupid." Lily begged. "Not this year." Cris said. Lily groaned, "I blame you." She said to James. "It's not my fault." James said. "Yes it is." Lily and Moony said. "What is this, pick on James day?" he asked. "Nah, that's next week, we're just practicing." Moony said. James huffed and crossed his arms, Moody continued reading.

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell her something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. She wondered if she should get out her wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten. **

"Don't do that!" Percy cried. "Hey, Perce, I know this. This happened four years ago. So take a chill pill, you can't change anything that happened. That goes for you as well." Cris said to Sirius and Remus said. They nodded although they didn't promise anything.

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind her and she caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"— packed with Muggles, of course —"**

"Thank god, they can help you. Maybe," Lily said. Cris smiled and but didn't say anything.

**Cris swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. **

"Thank god, it's the Weasley's." Lily said. "So this is how you and Ron became friends." Sirius mused. Cris and Ron blushed but before anyone could say anything Moody continued reading.

**Each of them was pushing a trunk like Cris' in front of him — and they had an owl.**

**Heart hammering, Cris pushed her cart after them. They stopped and so did she, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

**"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother. **

"How can you forget? It's the same every year." Padfoot asked. "I like to make sure that they don't forget." Mrs. Weasley said. "Makes sense," Lily said.

**"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl,**

Ginny blushed the same shade as her hair. "It's okay Gin-Gin; you'll get to go next year." Sirius said. "Shut it you mutt." Ginny said. Sirius pouted and Padfoot wondered if everyone knew about them being animagi to help Moony during the transformations.

**also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mum, can't I go…"**

**"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."**

**What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten.**

**Cris watched, careful not to blink in case she missed it — but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of her and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

"Bad luck, sweetie" Lily said.

**"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

**"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"**

"I still don't get how you can tell them apart, Cris." Mrs. Weasley said. "I pay attention to the littlest things." Cris said. "That is amazing, our own mother can't tell us apart but little Cris can." Fred said. Cris stuck her tongue out at Fred who grinned back at her.

**"Sorry, George, dear."**

**"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone — but how had he done it? Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there — and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.**

**There was nothing else for it.**

**"Excuse me," Cris said to the plump woman.**

"You were so polite; you should be proud Lily, James. The both of you made one pretty special girl." Mrs. Weasley said. Cris blushed and hid her face in Sirius' chest. Sirius chuckled and kissed her head.

**"Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."**

**She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose. **

"Thanks Cris, and here I thought we were friends." Ron said. The twins were laughing while his other brothers were trying hard not to laugh. "It's an accurate description." Hermione said with a smile. "Just you wait until your description." Ron said. Hermione shut up with that and looked at Cris.

**"Yes," said Cris. "The thing is — the thing is, I don't know how to —"**

**"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Cris nodded.**

**"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

**"Er — okay," said Cris.**

**She pushed her trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.**

"That's the point." Sirius said. "We know," Cris and Ron said grimacing slightly at the memory of crashing into the barrier.

**She started to walk toward it. People jostled her on their way to platforms nine and ten. Cris walked more quickly. She was going to smash right into that barrier and then she'd be in trouble — leaning forward on her cart, she broke into a heavy run — the barrier was coming nearer and nearer — she wouldn't be able to stop — the cart was out of control — she was a foot away — she closed her eyes ready for the crash — It didn't come… she kept on running… she opened her eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said **_**Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock**_**. Cris looked behind her and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words **_**Platform Nine and Three-Quarters**_** on it, she had done it.**

"Yea!" her parents and Padfoot and Moony cheered.

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.**

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Cris pushed her cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. **

**She passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

"Neville!" the trio and Luna said. Neville blushed beet red.

**"Oh, **_**Neville**_**," she heard the old woman sigh.**

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

"That's Lee." The twins said.

**"Give us a look, Lee, go on."**

**The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.**

**Cris pressed on through the crowd until she found an empty compartment near the end of the train. She put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave her trunk toward the train door. She tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice she dropped it painfully on her foot.**

"Ouch," Tonks said. "I had help after this," Cris said grinning at the twins who grinned back at her.

**"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins she'd followed through the barrier. **

**"Yes, please," Cris panted.**

**"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"**

"Wait, they're being helpful?" Charlie asked. "We can be helpful when we want to." George said. "Ye of little faith." Fred said.

**With the twins' help, Cris' trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

**"Thanks," said Cris, pushing her sweaty hair out of her eyes.**

**"What's that?" said one of the twins **

"Hey," they cried. "I didn't know your names yet, so give me a break." Cris said. They nodded smiling at her.

**suddenly, pointing at Cris' lightning scar.**

**"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you —?"**

**"She is," said the first twin. **

**"Aren't you?" he added to Cris.**

**"What?" asked Cris.**

**"Cristal Potter." chorused the twins.**

**"Oh, her," said Cris.**

"Really, that's what you said?" Sirius asked. "Hey I wasn't used to anyone recognizing me on sight." Cris said. Sirius calmed down and hugged her again.

**"I mean, yes, I am. But call me Cris."**

**The two boys gawked at her, and Cris felt herself turning red.**

"Didn't mean to embarrass you Cris." The twin said under their mom's glare. "It's okay, I know you didn't mean too." Cris said smiling at them, she thought it was kind of cute now.

**Then, to her relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.**

**"Fred? George? Are you there?" **

**"Coming, Mum."**

**With a last look at Cris, the twins hopped off the train.**

**Cris sat down next to the window where, half hidden, she could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. **

"You eavesdropped on us?" Ron asked. Cris blushed and hid her face. "That's what you get for being a kid of a marauder." Sirius said. "You need to come pranking with us!" the twins shouted. "Nah, I'm good thanks." Cris said. "I think I'd rather you be pranking then what you do end up doing." Remus said rubbing a hand over his face and through his hair. "Sorry," Cris mumbled. Remus and Sirius chuckled and hugged her saying that they didn't blame her.

**Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.**

**"Ron, you've got something on your nose."**

**The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.**

**"Mum — geroff" He wriggled free.**

**"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**

The marauders chuckled.

**"Shut up," said Ron.**

**"Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

"Who cares," the siblings beside Percy said. Percy felt himself going red. They didn't understand that he was doing this for them, protecting them from the dangerous Potter girl from her lies. Mrs. Weasley looked sadly at her third oldest son; she hoped that he will come back before it's too late.

**"He's coming now."**

**The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Cris noticed a red and gold badge on his chest with the letter P on it.**

**"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front; the prefects have got two compartments to themselves —"**

**"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

**"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once —"**

**"Or twice —"**

**"A minute —"**

**"All summer —"**

"I love these guys." James and Padfoot said. The twins bowed and as everyone laughed.

**"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

**"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

**"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term — send me an owl when you get there."**

**She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.**

**"Now, you two — this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've — you've blown up a toilet or —"**

"Never give a prankster ideas, Molly." Remus and Moony said. "I know, I shouldn't have said anything, I don't even know if they did or not." Mrs. Weasley said. "Oh they did." McGonagall said with pursed lips.

**"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**

**"Great idea though, thanks, Mum."**

**"It's not funny. And look after Ron."**

**"Don't worry; ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."**

**"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

**"Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"**

**Cris leaned back quickly so they couldn't see her looking.**

"You really should go pranking with us sometime." George said. "I'll think about it." Cris said with a smirk. "Thank god she doesn't." McGonagall mumbled to no one in particular.

**"You know that black-haired girl who was near us in the station? Know who she is?"**

**"Who?"**

**"Cristal Potter! But she goes by Cris"**

**Cris heard the little girl's voice.**

**"Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see her, Mum, eh please…" **

"Aww," Lily cooed. The guys chuckled while Cris and Ginny blushed, they were actually good friends now.

**"You've already seen her, Ginny, and the poor girl isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is she really, Fred? How do you know?"**

**"Asked her. Saw her scar. It's really there — like lightning."**

**"Poor dear — no wonder she was alone, I wondered. She was ever so polite when she asked how to get onto the platform."**

**"Never mind that, do you think she remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"**

"You didn't ask, did you?" Lily asked glaring at the twins. "We didn't, we promise." The twins said they were cowering under Lily's glare.

**Their mother suddenly became very stern.**

**"I forbid you to ask her, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though she needs reminding of that on her first day at school." **

"Thank you Molly." Lily and James said. "Don't mention it." Mrs. Weasley said.

**"All right, keep your hair on."**

**A whistle sounded.**

**"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.**

**"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

**"We'll send you a Hogwarts' toilet seat." **

"I never got that." Ginny said. "It went to someone else who needed it more." George said. "Dear lord, what am I going to do with you two?" Mrs. Weasley asked shaking her head. "Love us for who we are?" Fred asked. Mrs. Weasley shook her head and smiled, they reminded her of her brothers.

**"George!"**

**"Only joking, Mum."**

**The train began to move. Cris saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.**

**Cris watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Cris felt a great leap of excitement. She didn't know where she was going to — but it had to be better than what she was leaving behind. **

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.**

**"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Cris. "Everywhere else is full." **

"Was it really or just the emptiest you could find?" Cris asked. "The emptiest I could find." Ron said. Cris smiled at him who smiled back at her.

**Cris shook her head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Cris and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Cris saw he still had a black mark on his nose.**

"And you didn't tell me?" Ron asked. "Sorry," Cris grinned sheepishly. "It's okay; I don't even remember how it came off." Ron said. "Boys," Mrs. Weasley said. "Hey!" Cris, Ginny and Hermione said. "I didn't mean you three just these six." Mrs. Weasley said gesturing towards her sons.

**"Hey, Ron."**

**The twins were back.**

**"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train — Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

**"Right," mumbled Ron.**

**"Cris," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then." **

**"Bye," said Cris and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

**"Are you really Cristal Potter?" Ron blurted out.**

**Cris nodded, "Call me Cris." **

**"Oh — well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron.**

"It's always a good thing to be cautious with these two." Charlie said. "No kidding," Neville mumbled remembering the canary crèmes.

**"And have you really got — you know…" He pointed at Cris' forehead. "Scar," he said in a hushed voice.**

**Cris pulled back her fringe to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.**

**"Wicked," he said. "So that's where You-Know-Who —?"**

**"Yes," said Cris, "but I can't remember it."**

**"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.**

"RON!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. "I told you not to ask."

"Technically you told the twins not to ask." Ron said. Mrs. Weasley huffed and crossed her arms over her chest while the twins high fived Ron.

**"Well — I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."**

**"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Cris for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.**

**"Are all your family wizards?" asked Cris, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found her.**

"Really?" Ron asked. "Yeah, I had no idea what kind of world I was walking into and I wanted to collect all the information I could with memorizing my books," Cris said. Hermione blushed while Cris and Ron chuckled.

**"Er — Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him." **

"That's sad," Lily said.

**"So you must know loads of magic already."**

**The Weasley's were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about. **

"Before you protest, I was just thinking that because both of you are from wizarding families." Cris said. "I can see the logic in that." Remus said. "Thanks, Remus." Cris said with a smile.

**"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

**"Horrible — well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."**

**"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy.**

"Damn books." Ron muttered. "How do you think I feel?" Cris asked. They shared a look before Moody continued reading.

**"I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts.**

**You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left — Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. **

"Oh Ron," Mrs. Weasley cried. She wrapped her arms around Ron. "I don't feel that way now guys." Ron said. "You shouldn't have felt this way to begin with, son." Mr. Weasley said. Ron got out of his mother's embrace and sat back next Hermione.

**You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat." **

The trio, Sirius and Remus growled at the mention of the rat.

**Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep.**

"That sounds familiar." James whispered to the other too. "Yeah, I wonder why Pete isn't here." Moony whispered. "I have a feeling that we will find out sooner or later." Padfoot whispered.

**"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up.**

**Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff — I mean, I got Scabbers instead."**

**Ron's ears went pink.**

**He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.**

**Cris didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, she'd never had any money in her life until a month ago, and she told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up. **

"It didn't really, I was just surprised, I always heard that we were spoiled and got everything you wanted." Ron said. Cris blushed and smiled at Ron. "She would have been, if Voldemort didn't go after her." Sirius mumbled.

**"… and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a witch or about my parents or Voldemort —"**

**Ron gasped.**

**"What?" said Cris.**

**"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed **

"It's just a name; it's kind of silly to be scared of a name. It's like being scared of the sun." Cris said. "True, and like you said, it even isn't his real name." Hermione said. That gave people something to think about.

**"I'd have thought you, of all people —"**

**"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Cris, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn… I bet," she added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying her a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class." **

"You're not Miss Potter; you're in the top ten of your year." McGonagall said. Cris blushed while Lily and James looked proud at their blushing daughter while Sirius hugged her close.

**"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."**

**While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.**

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?" **

"Some of everything," Ron said. Cris smiled sheepishly over at Ron who smiled back at her.

**Cris, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to her feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Cris went out into the corridor.**

**She had never had any money for sweets with the Dursley's, and now that she had pockets rattling with gold and silver she was ready to buy as many Mars Bars **

"Those are good." Remus said. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me that you know that." Sirius said. Remus pouted while Sirius grinned at his friend.

**as she could carry — but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Cris had never seen in her life. Not wanting to miss anything, she got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts. **

"You're making me hungry." Ron, Sirius, and Padfoot groaned. "We'll eat soon." Mrs. Weasley said. They nodded and Moody went back to the book.

**Ron stared as Cris brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.**

**"Hungry, are you?"**

**"Starving," said Cris, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.**

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef…" **

"I thought you did." Mrs. Weasley said frowning. "No, that's me." Percy said his ears red. "Alright, I'll try and remember that Ron." Mrs. Weasley said. Ron's face burned bright red.

**"Swap you for one of these," said Cris, holding up a pasty. "Go on —"**

**"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."**

**"Go on, have a pasty," said Cris, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with.**

"Aw, your first friend." Lily cooed. "Aren't they so cute?" James snickered. Ron and Cris blushed as Cris stuck a tongue out at her parents.

**It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Cris' pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).**

**"What are these?" Cris asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. **

**"They're not really frogs, are they?" She was starting to feel that nothing would surprise her. **

**"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa." **

"I have him." Remus said. "I'll swap you later?" Ron asked. "Alright," Remus said.

**"What?"**

**"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know — Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect — famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy." **

"I have Ptolemy." Bill said. "Can I swap you?" Ron asked. "Maybe," Bill said with a smirk. Before Ron could start begging Moody started reading again.

**Cris unwrapped her Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and moustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore. **

**"So **_**this**_** is Dumbledore!"** **said Cris.**

**"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa — thanks —"**

**Cris turned over her card and read:**

_**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**_

_**CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS**_

_**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. **_

"It was there the whole time." Cris whined. "So annoying, all those books." Ron whined. "What are you talking about?" everyone asked. "You'll find out." The trio said. "I hate that answer." Padfoot complained. "Then don't ask." Cris said.

_**Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling. **_

**Cris turned the card back over and saw, to her astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.**

**"He's gone!"**

**"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron.**

**"He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her… do you want it? You can start collecting."**

**Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped. "Help yourself," said Cris. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos." **

"They don't, really?" Mr. Weasley asked.

**"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "Weird!"**

"I think Ron is more like dad then we thought." Bill whispered to Charlie. "No kidding," Charlie whispered back.

**Cris stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on her card and gave her a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Cris couldn't keep her eyes off them. Soon she had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. She finally tore her eyes away from the Druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.**

**"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Cris. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor — you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once." **

"I did, it was disgusting." George said making a face. "And how did you know what one tasted like?" Hermione asked. "It was a dare!" George exclaimed while the others laughed.

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.**

**"Bleaaargh — see? Sprouts."**

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Cris got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end of a funny grey one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.**

"That's where your good luck goes." Fred said with a smile. "That's not a bad selection." James said. "I was luckier than some of the other people I know." Cris said. Neville blushed but before anyone could comment Moody continued reading.

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills. **

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Cris had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.**

Neville groaned while the trio and the twins snickered.

**"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"**

**When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"**

**"He'll turn up," said Cris.**

**"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him…"**

**He left.**

**"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." **

"Damn rat," Ron mumbled.

**The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.**

**"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…"**

**He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.**

**"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway —"**

**He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

**"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth. **

"Hey!" Hermione said. "I didn't write this Mione." Cris said raising her hands in surrender. "I don't blame you, I'll blame the author." Hermione said. Cris grinned and Moody continued reading.

**"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.**

**"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."**

**She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.**

**"Er — all right."**

**He cleared his throat.**

**"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." **

"I can't believe you fell for that!" George laughed out. "That was pretty good," James said. "We give you marauder points." Padfoot said. The twins broke into wide grins.

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.**

**"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it?**

**I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is,**

Moody took a deep breath, "Do you ever breathe?" he asked. "Sorry Mad-Eye." Hermione said shyly, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.

**I've heard — I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" **

**She said all this very fast.**

**Cris looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.**

**"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

**"Cris Potter," said Cris. **

**"Are you really?" said Hermione.**

**"I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."**

**"Am I?" said Cris, feeling dazed.**

"Sorry Cris, I was just excited." Hermione said. "I understand that." Cris said with a smile towards her friend.

**"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad… Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." **

**And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.**

**"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. **

"How in the world did you three become friends?" Lily asked. "It took a few months." Cris said. "And in the meantime, some very rude comments from Ron and few from Cris." Hermione said with a smirk. "Ron!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. "Cristal!" Lily shouted. "We apologized profusely after that, didn't we Ron?" Cris said cringing from getting told off from her mom. Ron nodded while Cris snuggled closer to Sirius, she was happy to get told off from her mom, she wondered if she would have gotten a few howlers over the years from the stuff she and Ron and Hermione have down.

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell — George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."**

**"What house are your brothers in?" asked Cris.**

**"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."**

**"That's the house Vol-, I mean; You-Know-Who was in?" **

"I still find it funny that you didn't use to say it." Ron said. "Well, I stupid for listening to the fear of the silly made up name rather than listen to what my gut was telling me." Cris said. "You gut told you to say the name?" Fred asked. "I guess in a way, it felt wrong to call him You-Know-Who." Cris said. They quieted down and Moody continued reading.

**"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.**

**"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Cris, trying to take Ron's mind off houses.**

"You definitely get that from your mother." James said with a smile. "Which is a good thing; if she was like you she would be teasing Ron like no tomorrow for that." Lily said. "True," James conceded. Ron turned to Cris.

"Hey mate, I'm glad you're like your mom, I don't think I could take getting teased by someone at a higher level than Fred and George." Ron said. "You're welcome, I think." Cris said. Ron grinned at her while Moody, in a gruff voice, continued reading.

**"So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"**

**Cris was wondering what wizards and witches did once they'd finished school.**

**"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron.**

**"Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles — someone tried to rob a high security vault." **

"We never did catch whoever did it." Bill said. "That's because he died at Hogwarts at the end of the year." Cris said. "How in the world do you know that?" Sirius asked. "He told me before he died." Cris said. "I'm not getting anything else am I?" Sirius asked. "Nope, but you'll find out soon." The trio said.

**Cris stared.**

**"Really? What happened to them?"**

**"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it." **

"We really need to start paying attention to the stuff he says." Cris said wide eyed. "I know we need to write these down." Hermione said. "So You-Know-Who was behind it?" Bill asked. "In a way," Ron said.

**Cris turned this news over in her mind. She was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. She supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying. **

**"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

**"Er — I don't know any." Cris confessed.**

"My heart can't take much more of this!" James cried out. Everyone was trying really hard to keep a straight face, so far the trick was working.

**"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world —" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just talking Cris through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.**

**Three boys entered, and Cris recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop.**

**He was looking at Cris with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

**"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Cristal Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"**

"No, I'm just a random witch who happens the have the same name." Cris said. Everyone laughed. "Why aren't you this funny at school?" George asked recovering from laughing. "Not sure," Cris said shrugging.

**"Yes," said Cris. She was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.**

**"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Cris was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."**

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

**"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasley's have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."**

"Oi!" the Weasley kids shouted. "Why that little ferret, the Weasley's a lot better than your family, that's for damn sure." Tonks said. "Thank you Tonks." Mrs. Weasley said. Tonks nodded giving Mrs. Weasley a smile while Moody continued.

**He turned back to Cris. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."**

**He held out his hand to shake Cris', but Cris didn't take it.**

**"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," she said coolly.**

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.**

**"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents.**

"He did not just say that!" Lily snarled. "I will be having a talk with him after this." Snape muttered. He didn't like the fact that Draco rubbed this in someone's face.

**They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasley's and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."**

**Both Cris and Ron stood up.**

**"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

**"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.**

**"Unless you get out now," said Cris, more bravely than she felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than her or Ron.**

"You are definitely a Gryffindor." Sirius smiled hugging her close. Cris blushed again, what were they going to say when they find out she almost went to Slytherin? Will they hate me?

**"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."**

**Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron — Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.**

**Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle**

"Wow, he actually did something useful." Sirius said wide eyed. "I know." Cris and Ron mumbled.

— **Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.**

**"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.**

**"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Cris. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No — I don't believe it — he's gone back to sleep."**

"That really sounds familiar." Moony whispered to the other two. "No kidding, but it can't be Pete, can it?" James whispered. "Who knows, all we know is that you're dead, I'm in prison for a murder I didn't commit and Moony is doing who knows what." Padfoot whispered. James and Moony fell quiet, thinking that over.

**And so he had.**

**"You've met Malfoy before?"**

**Cris explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.**

**"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"**

**"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!" **

**"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?" **

"You realize that Cris is there as well, right?" Bill asked. "Shut up," Ron said with a blush. "I changed in the bathroom." Cris said. Sirius let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and held her close.

**"All right — I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" **

**Ron glared at her as she left. Cris peered out of the window. It was getting dark. She could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.**

**She and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him; you could see his sneakers underneath them. **

"Why do you have to be so observant?" Ron asked. "I'll try not to, but you do realize I usually keep these to myself right." Cris said. Ron blushed again while everyone laughed.

**A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."**

**Cris' stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, she saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.**

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Cris shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Cris heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Cris?"**

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.**

**"C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"**

**Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Cris thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. **

**Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.**

**"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."**

**There was a loud "Oooooh!"**

**The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. **

"It's the same every year." McGonagall said with a smile.

**"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Cris and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione.**

**"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then — FORWARD!"**

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.**

**"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.**

**"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.**

**"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.**

**They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.**

**"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"**

**Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. **

"That's it." Moody said in a gruff voice. He handed it to Sirius but before they did that Mrs. Weasley asked the room to provide a fully stocked kitchen and got set to making some snacks. "You can continue, I can hear from here." Mrs. Weasley said. Sirius chuckled and started the seventh chapter.

**Author's Note:**

**Voting So Far:**

**Cris/Sirius (9)**

**Cris/Fred (10)**

**Cris/Charlie (6)**

**Cris/George (1)**

**Fred/Cris/George (16) **

**Thanks for voting, I'll be choosing soon, not sure when but you'll know. Keep reading, hope you enjoy it.**


	8. Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat

"**Chapter Seven: The Sorting Hat," **Sirius read. "Oooooh, we get to hear what the hat said to you." Hermione said with a wide smile. "You did take forever on the stool." Fred said. Cris sighed; they were going to find out. What were they going to think? Cris began to slightly panic and Remus sensing this gave her a comforting smile and wrapped his arm around her.

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Cris' first thought was that this was not someone to cross. **

"And yet you still did it." McGonagall said. "I'm so proud!" James cried. "All those times I did were for a good cause." Cris said. "And we wish you didn't have to do that." Sirius and Remus said. "If I have any grey hairs, they're from you." Sirius huffed. Cris smiled innocently at him and he continued reading.

**"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.**

**"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."**

**She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursley's' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.**

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Cris could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.**

"Aw, are the ickle firsties scawed?" Fred asked. George snickered next to him. "I seem to recall you two to be pretty scared as well." Charlie said with a snicker. Cris and Ron were laughing at them while Sirius, with a smile on his face, continued reading.

**"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts.**

**You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.**

"Or in the hospital wing." Ron, Hermione, the twins, Ginny, Neville and Luna said. "Hey!" Cris whined. "It's true Cris, and you know it. Your just danger prone." Fred said. Cris huffed while her parents and Remus and Sirius sighed.

**"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. **

"Which is something you tend to forget." McGonagall sighed. "We get it back in the end." Cris said. "We don't," James sighed. His daughter beat him at something. "All we do is play harmless pranks to get a few laughs out of people." Padfoot said. "Laughter is a good remedy to times of great peril, which is why we do it." Moony said. McGonagall stared wide eyed, that was actually a smart idea.

**At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.**

**"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."**

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, **

"How did that get there?" Lily asked. "I have no idea." Neville blushed.

**and on Ron's smudged nose.**

"Thanks Cris," Ron said rubbing his nose self-consciously. "I live to serve." Cris said bowing slightly. The twins grinned at her, Fred loved how her eyes lit up and George loved her smile. They looked at each other; they were both falling for her. They told each other silently that they would be talking about this later.

**Cris nervously took a bobble from her wrist and tied her hair up in a ponytail. **

"Maybe I should grow my hair out. Then I could control it better." James mused. "Don't," Lily, Padfoot and Moony said. "I like it like this." Lily said. James blushed while Lily ran a hand through his hair. Sirius smiled at the display, hoping that if they do change it they will see this every day.

**"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."**

**She left the chamber. Cris swallowed.**

**"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" she asked Ron.**

**"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." **

"You really shouldn't listen to the twins Ron; they're more than likely pulling your leg." Charlie said. "I know that now," Ron said. The twins smiled again and Sirius began reading again.

**Cris' heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But she didn't know any magic yet — well she knew the words to some of them but she had never tried any. What on earth would she have to do? She hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived.**

**She looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.**

**Cris tried hard not to listen to her. She'd never been more nervous, never, not even when she'd had to take a school report home to the Dursley's saying that she'd somehow turned her teacher's wig blue.**

The twins and both sets of marauders laughed. "How did that happen?" Fred managed to ask. "Magic, silly, don't you know that." Cris said with a wink towards Fred. Fred blushed while Sirius continued reading.

**She kept her eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead her to her doom. **

"Pessimist," Ron and Hermione coughed. Cris huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Sirius chuckled and continued reading.

**Then something happened that made her jump about a foot in the air — several people behind her screamed. **

"What is it?" Lily asked. "It's okay Lils; I bet it's just the ghosts." James said. Lily just nodded; she was worried about her little girl. What will be going on that made the trio so worried?

**"What the —?"**

**She gasped. So did the people around her. About twenty ghosts**

"See Lily, nothing to worry about." James said kissing her cheek. Lily nodded and snuggled closer to James. Cris smiled at her parents and then looked over at the twins, they were too cute. Cris' eyes widened again but kept them to herself as Sirius started reading again.

**had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing.**

**What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"**

**"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?"**

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years**

"It's the same every year." James said. "Huh, one would think that the same conversation would get boring." Cris said. "One would think," Lily agreed.

**"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"**

**A few people nodded mutely.**

**"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."**

**"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."**

**Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.**

**"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."**

**Feeling oddly as though her legs had turned to lead, Cris got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind her, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.**

**Cris had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place.**

Everyone sighed, it certainly was splendid, and home to those who don't feel at home with their families.

**It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Cris looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. She heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." **

"I'm still shocked that you could remember that." Ron said. "Have you ever read it?" Hermione asked. "No, but that's what I have you and Cris for." Ron said. "Is that all we are to you?" Cris asked mock hurt. "No, it's not, I promise." Ron said suddenly to help his friend out. Cris smiled over at him and he glared at her, she tricked him. Sirius messed her hair up and she glared at him and tried to get it to flatten itself. James then proceeded to mess his up which made Cris smile.

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.**

**Cris quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house. **

"Professor, can we…?" George asked. "Absolutely not, Mr. Weasley. The sorting hat does not leave the school." McGonagall said sternly. The twins then started to come up with something to stick in the Dursley's house.

_**Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it**_**; Bella thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing **

"It's a Muggle magic trick." Hermione said. "How," Mr. Weasley asked. "It's not really magic, it's just an illusion, and it makes people think that it's real." Lily said. "Oh, fascinating." Mr. Weasley said. Cris shook her head fondly at him.

— **noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, she stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing:' **

"Sing Sirius, sing!" the twins yelled. "No, don't sing." James, Remus, Cris and Moony shouted. Sirius was just about to open his mouth when Cris took it.

_**"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,**_

_**But don't judge on what you see,**_

_**I'll eat myself if you can find**_

_**A smarter hat than me.**_

The twins and the younger marauders now made it their mission to find a smarter hat.

_**You can keep your bowlers black,**_

_**Your top hats sleek and tall,**_

_**For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat**_

_**And I can cap them all.**_

_**There's nothing hidden in your head**_

_**The Sorting Hat can't see,**_

_**So try me on and I will tell you**_

_**Where you ought to be.**_

_**You might belong in Gryffindor,**_

All the Gryffindors cheered.

_**Where dwell the brave at heart,**_

_**Their daring, nerve, and chivalry**_

_**Set Gryffindors apart;**_

_**You might belong in Hufflepuff,**_

Tonks and Moody cheered.

_**Where they are just and loyal,**_

_**Those patient Hufflepuffs are true**_

_**And unafraid of toil;**_

_**Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,**_

Kingsley and Luna cheered.

_**if you've a ready mind,**_

_**Where those of wit and learning,**_

_**Will always find their kind;**_

_**Or perhaps in Slytherin**_

Snape smirked; being the only Slytherin in the room he did nothing else.

_**You'll make your real friends,**_

_**Those cunning folk use any means**_

_**To achieve their ends.**_

_**So put me on! Don't be afraid!**_

_**And don't get in a flap!**_

_**You're in safe hands (though I have none)**_

_**For I'm a Thinking Cap!"**_

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.**

**"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Cris. "I'll kill Fred; he was going on about wrestling a troll."**

The trio smiled while the teachers looked pale, remembering the incident.

**Cris smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but she did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching.**

**The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Cris didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment.**

**If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for her.**

"Then everyone would go there." McGonagall said with a small smile towards Cris. Cris blushed as the twins snickered, when she glared at them they shut up.

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.**

**"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"**

**A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause —**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. **

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Bella saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at Hannah.**

**"Bones, Susan!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"**

"There's no Gryffindor's yet." James pouted. "I hate it when that happens." Padfoot said.

**shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.**

**"Boot, Terry!"**

**"RAVENCLAW!"**

**The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.**

**"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Cris could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.**

"Finally," James and Padfoot said. Mrs. Weasley glared at the twins but they smiled innocently up at her.

**"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Cris' imagination, after all she'd heard about Slytherin, but she thought they looked like an unpleasant lot. **

"That's because they are honey." James said. "We know," the trio said. Cris though kept looking at her dad. They smiled at each other while Sirius continued.

**She was starting to feel definitely sick now. She remembered being picked for teams during gym at her old school. She had always been last to be chosen, not because she was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked her.**

**"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" **

**Sometimes, Cris noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Cris in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

**"Granger, Hermione!"**

**Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.**

**"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.**

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley chided. "You might want to get used to it, Mrs. Weasley. After we became friends the both of them apologized." Hermione said. "Alright dear, I'll try not. But no promises." Mrs. Weasley said. Ron sent Hermione a thank you smile which Hermione nodded in return.

**A horrible thought struck Cris, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if she wasn't chosen at all?**

**What if she just sat there with the hat over her eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off her head and said there had obviously been a mistake and she'd better get back on the train?**

"That will never happen." McGonagall said. Cris smiled but didn't say anything.

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool.**

"Alice did the same thing, don't worry." Remus said. "Really?" Neville asked. Remus nodded but Lily looked over at Neville. "Your Alice and Frank's son?" Lily asked. He nodded but Lily still looked confused. "But where were they in the beginning? They're not dead are they?" Lily asked in hysterics. "Mom, if Nev doesn't want to explain it will explain in the fourth book." Cris said. Neville looked thankful over at Cris who gave him a warm smile. "Alright, but I don't like this one bit." Lily huffed.

**The hat took a long time to decide with Neville.**

**When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."**

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"**

**Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.**

**There weren't many people left now. "Moon"…, "Nott"… , "Parkinson"… , then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"… , then "Perks, Sally-Anne"… , and then, at last —**

**"Potter, Cristal!"**

**As Cris stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.**

**"Potter, did she say?"**

**"The Cris Potter?"**

**Cris felt her face burn and tripped on the stairs before catching herself before she fell and climbed on the stool. **

Lily smiled at her; she almost did the same thing.

**The last thing Cris saw before the hat dropped over her eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at her. Next second she was looking at the black inside of the hat. She waited.**

**"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. **

"No it's not; she'll be in Gryffindor like her parents." James said.

**Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?" **

"You could have gone into any house?" Lily asked. Cris nodded, her face burning again. "I can see that." Remus said. Cris hugged him as Sirius continued reading.

**"Ah yes you have had a difficult life, Miss Potter, try to break that habit your relatives have you doing. Ravenclaw will be too much of a jump I think. Shame you would have been fantastic there now where to put you. Hufflepuff I can see already you are very loyal to your first friends Ron Weasley and Rubeus Hagrid of course. But perhaps again too much of a jump hmm."**

**Cris gripped the edges of the stool and thought, **_**Not Slytherin, not Slytherin**_**.**

**"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head,**

"You were almost in Slytherin?" Ron asked. Cris nodded but Sirius hugged her. "So was I Cris, that's why it took so long for me to be sorted as well." Sirius said. Cris smiled up at her godfather and hugged him. "No one cares honey; you would have been great in any house." James said. "That's very mature James," Lily said. James blushed while Ron and the twins gave her a reassuring smile.

**and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that — no?**

**Well, if you're sure — better be GRYFFINDOR!"**

Everyone cheered at that. James Padfoot and Moony ran over to her and picked her up hugging her. "I can't breathe." Cris said. They put her down but James still hugged her. Cris sighed into the hug, he felt safe and she loved it. James let his daughter go and the both of them sat back down.

**Cris heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. She took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. She was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin; she hardly noticed that she was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook her hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" **

They did so again but when Cris smiled at them the both of them blushed. 'I really need to talk at Sirius and Remus about this, is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time?' Sirius continued reading not seeing the look of confusion on Cris' face.

**Cris sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff she'd seen earlier. The ghost patted her arm, giving Cris the sudden, horrible feeling she'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water. **

"I hate that feeling," everyone said.

**She could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest her sat Hagrid, who caught her eye and gave her the thumbs up. Cris grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. **

**Cris recognized him at once from the card she'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Cris spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban. **

Cris forced herself to remain calm; she should have known something was off about that turban.

**And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Cris at the Gryffindor table.**

**"Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now.**

**Cris crossed her fingers under the table**

"Thanks Cris," Ron said. "That's what friends are for." Cris said with a smile.

**and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"**

**Cris clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to her.**

**"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Cris as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. **

**Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.**

**Cris looked down at her empty gold plate. She had only just realized how hungry she was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.**

**Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.**

**"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!**

**"Thank you!" **

"Great speech, sir." James said. "Thank you Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said the twinkle in his eye growing brighter.

**He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Cris didn't know whether to laugh or not.**

**"Is he — a bit mad?" she asked Percy uncertainly.**

"All the best people are, Miss Potter." Dumbledore said with a smile. Cris blushed while everyone chuckled.

**"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Cristal?" **

Cris glared at Percy, she told him to call her Cris countless times but he still called her Cristal.

**Cris' mouth fell open.**

**The dishes in front of her were now piled with food. She had never seen so many things she liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.**

**The Dursley's favorite punishment was to starve Cris other than beat her of course, but even when she wasn't starved she'd never been allowed to eat as much as she liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Cris really wanted, even if it made him sick. **

Everyone growled at that while Remus pulled her close since Sirius was reading.

**'Er, just Cris." she said nervously to Percy. **

"I like my name, but everyone needs a good nickname." Cris said before her parents got upset. "I understand." Lily said with a smile. Sirius chuckled and continued reading.

**Then Cris piled her plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.**

"You're making me hungry." Ron and Padfoot moaned.

**"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Cris cut up her steak.**

**"Can't you —?"**

**"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. **

"That is why these two will never become ghosts." Cris said pointing at Ron and Sirius. They mocked huffed but both of them had smiles on their faces.

**I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."**

**"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!"**

**"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.**

**"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"**

**Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted. **

"Yes it is, for some reason ghosts love to talk about death." James said. Cris smiled at her dad, wondering how he would take that she found some places the marauders haven't found yet.

**"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! **

"No!" the young marauders shouted. "Don't worry its back where it belongs." McGonagall said. The marauders cheered whereas the trio blushed.

**The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost." **

**Cris looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood.**

**He was right next to Malfoy who, Cris was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements. **

**"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.**

**"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately. **

"We have," the twins and both sets of marauders said. "He won't tell us and when we do he'll chase us around the castle." Fred and Padfoot said. "That was a sight to see." Lily said giggling. "I have a feeling that these three will find out before they leave school." Sirius said. "Of course they will, they proved that the Chamber exists, found out how Moaning Myrtle died who knows what else they'll do." George said. "The Chamber exists!" the past marauders and Lily shouted. "Second book." The trio said with a grin.

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding…**

**As Cris helped herself to a treacle tart,**

"My favorite," Cris, Lily and James said, their mouths watering. "I'll make some for dessert later." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. Cris smiled a thanks to Mrs. Weasley who smiled back at her.

**the talk turned to their families.**

**"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."**

**The others laughed.**

"That could have gone badly," Remus said. Snape nodded thinking of his own father who was a Muggle as well.

**"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.**

**"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me — he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned — but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced — all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy.**

"Where's Alice, she wouldn't allow this to happen." Lily said with tears in her eyes. "You'll find out mom, I promise." Cris said. Her mom would be heartbroken to find out that her friend and her husband were tortured into insanity.

**And you should have seen their faces when I got in here — they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."**

**On Cris' other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons**

**("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —"; **

**"You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing —.**

**Cris, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. **

Everyone laughed. "POTTER!" Snape shouted. "Sorry Professor, I can't control my own thoughts." Cris said with an innocent smile. "Leave my daughter alone, Severus, she didn't know that every single thought she had would be published in a book." Lily said with a glare. Sirius looked at Cris and smiled, "That's a pretty accurate description." Sirius said with a chuckle. Cris smiled up at her godfather who gave her a comforting hug before reading again.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Cris' eyes — and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Cris' forehead.**

"What did you do to my daughter?!" James snarled. He stood up brandishing his wand at Snape's direction. "I didn't do anything." Snape snapped though he didn't pull out his wand. "Dad, put your wand away. Throughout this book there will be times that you will be mad at Snape but look past it because he didn't do it." Cris said. "So he didn't cause your scar to hurt?" Padfoot asked. "No, it was someone else." Cris said to her younger godfather. James and Padfoot nodded still looking wearily over at Snape.

**"Ouch!" Cris clapped a hand to her head.**

**"What is it?" asked Percy.**

**"N-nothing."**

**The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Cris had gotten from the teacher's look — a feeling that he didn't like Cris at all.**

"You haven't even met her yet and you hate her? What has she done to you?" Lily asked with tears in her eyes. "She looks exactly like her father; I thought that she would act just like him, and she does." Snape snapped his eye fuming at his old childhood friend. "Cris has more of her mother's personality than her father's, Snape. She hates her fame, who would want to be famous for living whereas her parents were killed. She will be haunted with that for the rest of her life. Who would want that?" Sirius snapped his eyes filled with a blazing fury. Snape shut up and kept quiet when Sirius continued reading.

**"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" she asked Percy.**

**"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to — everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape." **

**Cris watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at her again.**

"It was her eyes," Snape muttered too low for anyone to hear.

**At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.**

**"Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."**

**Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.**

"He does that to us," the marauders said. "He does it to us now too." The trio said. Mrs. Weasley groaned, what was she going to do with them.

**"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.**

**"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.**

Cris shared a secret smile with McGonagall, the Weasley's, Hermione, Sirius and Remus while James looked sad again.

**"And finally, I must tell you that this year; the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." **

"You three went in there didn't you?" Mrs. Weasley asked fearing the answer. "Not on purpose," the trio and Neville said. Mrs. Weasley groaned as well as Remus and Sirius. "You're going to give me even more grey hairs than I have already." Remus groaned. Cris grinned sheepishly at her godfather and her honorary uncle.

**Cris laughed, but she was one of the few who did.**

**"He's not serious?" she muttered to Percy.**

**"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore.**

**"It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere — the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least." **

"We don't have to give you any details about why someplace is off limits, Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore said with a chuckle. Percy went red with embarrassment; maybe he could prove his family wrong about Dumbledore and the Potter girl with these books. Too bad the Minister and Madame Umbridge weren't here to prove the stories they were spewing were lies.

**"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore.**

**Cris noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.**

"You don't like the song?" Dumbledore asked. "No, that's not it Albus, we were all rather tired, that's all." McGonagall said. Dumbledore smiled and motioned for Sirius to continue.

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.**

**"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" **

**And the school bellowed: **

Everybody in the room joined in as well.

_**"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,**_

_**Teach us something please,**_

_**Whether we be old and bald**_

_**Or young with scabby knees,**_

_**Our heads could do with filling**_

_**With some interesting stuff,**_

_**For now they're bare and full of air,**_

_**Dead flies and bits of fluff,**_

_**So teach us things worth knowing,**_

_**Bring back what we've forgot,**_

_**just do your best, we'll do the rest,**_

_**And learn until our brains all rot."**_

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. **

**"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" **

"Are we horses all of a sudden?" Bill asked. Dumbledore chuckled as Sirius continued reading.

**The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Cris' legs were like lead again, but only because she was so tired and full of food. She was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. **

**They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Cris was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.**

**A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.**

**"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves — show yourself."**

**A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.**

**"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"**

"You can't use the Bloody Baron card too early or he won't listen." Remus said. Percy blushed again, he didn't know that.

**There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.**

The pranksters in the room grinned, they loved Peeves.

**"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"**

**He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.**

**"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.**

**Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.**

**"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."**

**At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.**

**"Password?" she said.**

**"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up —**

"Would you stop with that, we all know I'm clumsy." Neville said. "Sorry Nev," Cris grinned. "Alice was clumsy as well when we were younger, don't worry you'll grow out of it." Lily said. Neville smiled, thankful that he will grow out of it.

**and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.**

**Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another.**

**"See you" she called to Ron as she headed for her dorm. **

**At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas' and fell into bed. Quickly Cris repaired the cello tape of the middle of her glasses. Before anyone really noticed it, like a teacher. **

"You could have told us about the abuse, Cris." Hermione said. "I didn't want to cause any more problems. I didn't want anyone to confront them about it and then I would be in even more trouble when I got back there." Cris said. "Oh Cris, you didn't think nobody care?" Sirius asked. Cris blushed and Sirius hugged her close and continued reading.

**"That was fascinating wasn't it?" Hermione muttered to Cris through the hangings. **

**Cris was going to ask Hermione if she'd had any of the treacle tart, but she fell asleep almost at once. **

"I was wondering you fell asleep or just ignored me." Hermione said. "Sorry Hermione." Cris said with a blush.

**Perhaps Cris had eaten a bit too much, because she had a very strange dream. She was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to her, telling her she must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was her destiny. Cris told the turban she didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; she tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully — and there was Malfoy, laughing at her as she struggled with it — then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold — there was a burst of green light and Cris woke, sweating and shaking. **

"I don't remember this dream at all." Cris said. "Some people don't remember some of their dreams, so don't worry about it." Hermione said. "Thanks Mione." Cris said with a smile.

**She rolled over and fell asleep again, and when she woke next day, she didn't remember the dream at all. **

"That's the chapter, think you can read Cris?" Sirius asked. "Yeah, I can do it Sirius, I'll be fine." Cris said taking the book. She looked at the chapter title and groaned.

**Author's Note:**

**Voting right now:**

**Cris/Sirius (9)**

**Cris/Fred (10)**

**Cris/Charlie (6)**

**Cris/George (1)**

**Fred/Cris/George (19)**

**Will choose after next chapter so please keep voting!**


	9. Chapter 8: The Potion's Master

"**Chapter Eight: The Potion's Master," **Cris read with a groan.

"Great, we get to hear how Snape treat my daughter, who did nothing to him, like she is an idiot who doesn't deserve his time." James said scowling over at the potions professor.

"Dad, it's okay, I honestly don't care anymore." Cris said.

"Alright, Cris but I don't have to like it." James said frowning a little. Cris shook her head but continued reading.

**"There, look."**

**"Where?"**

**"Next to the tall boy with the red hair." **

"Which one, there's four at the moment?" Hermione asked.

"Ha-ha very funny," Ron mused while the twins snickered as Bill and Charlie tried to hide their laughter through a cough and Percy just scowled.

**"Really tiny and wearing the glasses?"**

Everyone laughed. "I wasn't that short was I?" Cris asked.

"Yes," Ron, Hermione, the twins and Ginny said. Cris pouted but James gave her a comforting smile.

"I was short too, up until the end of fifth beginning of sixth, so you'll grow out of it." James said. Cris smiled and beamed at her father, she won't be a midget forever!

**"Did you see her face?"**

**"Did you see her scar?"**

"Does this always happen?" Lily asked.

"Yes, and I absolutely hate it, especially that first day." Cris said.

"I can see that," Remus said.

**Whispers followed Cris from the moment she left her dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at her,** **or doubled back to pass her in the corridors again, staring. **

**Cris wished they wouldn't, because she was trying to concentrate on finding her way to classes. **

**There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. **

**The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Cris was sure the coats of armor could walk. **

"They can," everyone chorused.

"I know that now guys," Cris said.

"Sorry," they chorused again. Cris smiled and continued reading.

**The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class.**

**He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"**

Sirius and Padfoot looked sheepish.

"That was you!" Hermione asked.

"Sorry," Sirius said.

"You better be," Hermione said. Sirius looked wearily at her before Cris continued reading with a smile.

**Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Cris and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. **

"We are so proud," James, Sirius, Padfoot and the twins said wiping the fake tears from his eyes.

"James, you're not supposed to encourage her." Lily said.

"Sorry Lils," James said. He looked back at Cris and gave her a wide smile that Lily didn't catch.

**Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. **

"Sure you were." Fred said with a grin. Cris' breath caught at both the twins' grins. Remus nudged her and she continued reading. Remus shared a look with Sirius who nodded while Cris was reading.

**He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing. **

**Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. **

"He still has that bloody thing?" Bill asked.

"He had it when you were there?" Ron asked.

"Yes, I think she got a few years before I got there." Bill said thoughtful.

"Wait, isn't that the name of the kitten Filch has now?" Padfoot asked.

"Why yes it is, wow, that cat is old." James said. Everyone chuckled and Cris continued.

**Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick. **

"I think everyone does." Sirius chuckled.

**And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Cris quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words. **

"It is," everyone besides the muggleborns and Cris said.

"That's just what I thought, because that's how it is for Muggles, well the story books anyway." Cris said.

"Oh, alright." Sirius said. Cris chuckled and continued reading.

**They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. **

"I love Astronomy, looking up at the stars is just so peaceful." Cris said. The twins looked at each other and nodded. They were planning on something for her.

**Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for. Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.**

**Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk.**

**At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Cris' name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight. **

McGonagall shook her head while Lily smiled. Lily always liked Flitwick; he was a good teacher as well.

**Professor McGonagall was again different. Cris had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.**

**"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."**

"Yet you let us back in all the time." James said with a smile.

"That is because even though you four drove me crazy you were talented." McGonagall said. The marauders smirked and Cris continued reading.

**Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. **

**After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile. **

"After you started to break out of your shell you were good as well." McGonagall said. Cris grinned as James looked proud; he wondered if Cris and her friends tried to be animagi yet.

**The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.**

"I think this guy might be a bit off, most DADA teachers love to talk about their achievements." Lily said.

"So far we've only had one good teacher and that was in our third year." Cris said with a grin towards Remus who smiled back.

"Let me get this straight, you, Neville, Ron and Hermione are in you OWL year and the twins are in the NEWT year and you don't have a capable teacher?" Lily asked.

"Not in the slightest." Hermione said.

"Tell me you are taking things in your own hands then." Moony begged.

"We might be." Ron said.

"You aren't going to tell us are you?" James asked.

"Nope," the kids said with a smile.

**Cris was very relieved to find out that she wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like her, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.**

**Friday was an important day for Cris and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once. **

"Congratulations!" the twins shouted.

"That didn't take you too long then." James said.

"Granted it took us just a couple days because this one has black hole for a stomach." Moony said. Padfoot huffed while Cris continued reading.

**"What have we got today?" Cris asked Ron as she poured sugar on her porridge.**

**"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them — we'll be able to see if it's true."**

"True!" the twins, the trio, Ginny, Neville and Luna shouted.

"I don't think I want to hear this." James said. Lily placed her hand on James' shoulder and he calmed down.

**"Wish McGonagall favored us," said Cris.**

**Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.**

**Just then, the mail arrived. Cris had gotten used to this by now, but it had given her a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.**

**Hedwig hadn't brought Cris anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble her ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls.**

"You have such a sweet owl." Lily said.

"I know, I don't know what I would do if something happened to her. She was my very first friend." Cris said. Lily smiled at her daughter sadly; she should have had friends sooner than the first ride on the Hogwarts Express.

**This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Cris' plate.**

**Cris tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:**

_**Dear Cris,**_

_**I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?**_

_**I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.**_

_**Hagrid**_

**Cris borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled **_**Yes please, see you later**_** on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.**

**It was lucky that Cris had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to her so far. **

"I don't want to know," Sirius mumbled giving Cris what little comfort he could give. Cris smiled at the warmth and continued reading.

**At the start-of-term banquet, Cris had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked her. By the end of the first Potions lesson, she knew she'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Cris**

"Wait, what?" Fred asked confused at that.

"Just wait and see then." Cris said.

— **he hated her.**

"Now that makes more sense." George said. Cris grinned over at the twins and they both blushed.

Remus noticed and looked over at Sirius who noticed as well. They nodded at each other; they will be talking with Cris later.

**Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. **

"That's really disturbing." Tonks and Lily said. The kids nodded as Cris continued reading.

**Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Cris' name.**

**"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Cristal Potter. Our new — celebrity."**

"Does that mean that there was another celebrity there before me?" Cris asked. The twins snickered while Lily and James smiled.

"That sounds like something I would say." Lily said. Cris smiled at her mother who smiled back at her.

**Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels. **

"Very observant Potter." Moody said. "You should consider going into the Aurors." he said.

"I've thought about it and I'm still thinking about it." Cris said. Moody nodded as Cris continued with the chapter.

**"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. **

"That's because the students respect McGonagall, Snape just scares them." Fred said.

"That's very true, Gred." George said. Cris smiled, she loved when the did stuff like that.

**"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stop death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." **

"Good speech Severus, until you added the dunderheads part." McGonagall said. Snape looked at her until Dumbledore gave him a look that said they were going to talk later.

**More silence followed this little speech. Cris and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.**

**"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"**

"That's a sixth year potion!" Bill shouted.

"How is she supposed to know that, any first year for that matter?" Lily asked staring at her old friend. Snape said nothing so Cris continued reading.

_**Powdered root of what to an infusion of what?**_** Cris glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as she was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air. **

"When in doubt turn to Hermione." Cris said with a smile.

"Okay, so Hermione is like your Moony and Ron is like your Padfoot, so is there a Wormtail or is it just you three?" James asked.

"It's just us, we don't need a Wormtail. Though we do have Neville but he isn't a Wormtail, thank god." Cris said. The three past marauders looked confused as well as the people in the room who didn't know the story. So Cris continued reading where the rest of them tried to figure out what they said.

**"I don't know, sir," said Cris.**

**Snape's lips curled into a sneer.**

**"Tut, tut — fame clearly isn't everything."**

"No one ever said it was." Lily said. Tears filled her eyes and James took her hand.

"I grew up not knowing anything about this world and I can't remember every little thing I read, so how is it a bad thing? At least I tried to gather as much as I could about the wizarding world before going to school." Cris said. Sirius wrapped an arm around Cris bringing her close as she read.

**He ignored Hermione's hand.**

**"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"**

"Severus, why are you doing this? Is it because of her father? If it is than that is totally unfair. You don't judge people based on their parentage, look at Sirius for example." Lily said. Snape looked down, he should have known better but all he saw was the daughter of his enemy and not the daughter of his friend.

**Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Cris knew the answer, the lining of a goat's stomach, **

"So, you lied to me?" Snape asked.

"I had to fail on purpose growing up. I had to make it so Dudley got the better grades so I had to literally fail everything because Dudley only got C's and that was when I had to do his homework for him." Cris said.

"Oh honey, you're not like that now, are you?" Lily asked. Cris shook her head and continued reading, happy that her mom worried about her.

**but she pretended she didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. She tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.**

**"I don't know, sir." She said.**

**"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"**

"I now you did," Snape muttered. Remus heard him and looked over at him while Cris read.

**Cris forced herself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. She had looked through her books at the Dursley's', but did Snape expect her to remember everything in **_**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi**_**? **

"Yes, he expects you to recite of word you read in it." George said glaring at the potion's master. Cris looked at George and shook her head, he calmed down and she continued.

**She had remembered a fair bit but still. Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.**

**"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"**

"How do you expect a group of first years to know that, we didn't know that until fifth year." Remus said. Snape still didn't say anything so Cris continued.

**At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.**

**"I don't know," said Cris quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"**

"Oh dear lord, that's not a good time to let my wit come out in you." Lily said with a smile at her daughter.

"Oh I know, I was just frustrated." Cris said. Remus rolled his eyes but smiled, he was glad that she only got sarcastic when she's mad otherwise she would get into more trouble than she already did.

**A few people laughed; Cris caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked.**

Cris looked up at the twins and they looked jealous, she gave them a warm smile and went back to the book.

**Snape, however, was not pleased.**

**"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"**

"You didn't tell them too, Severus." McGonagall said glaring at the man.

**There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter." **

"Hmm, usually it would be more." Charlie said. McGonagall looked at her colleague; she knew that he was reminded of Lily and that it why he only took a point.

**Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. **

**He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs. **

Neville groaned this is where he began hating and scared of Snape.

**"Idiot boy!"**

"You did not just call a student an idiot." McGonagall snarled. When Snape didn't deny it she began to get really angry. She let it go for now, she knew that Dumbledore would be talking with him later.

**snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"**

**Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.**

**"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Cris and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.**

**"You — Potter — why didn't you tell him not to add the quills?**

"Maybe because she was working on her own potion." Lily snapped at him. Severus was now scared for his life, you never get Lily Evans pissed off without paying the price later on.

**Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."**

**This was so unfair that Cris opened her mouth to argue, but Ron kicked her behind their cauldron.**

**"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."**

"Good advice," James muttered trying to quell his anger.

**As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Cris' mind was racing and her spirits were low. She'd lost two points for Gryffindor in her very first week **

"That's nothing, we lost, what was it, 50 points that first day." Padfoot said.

"Yeah, and it was all your and Prongs' fault, I stayed out of it." Moony said. James and Padfoot looked hurt as Cris continued reading.

—**why did Snape hate her so much?**

**"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"**

**At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.**

**When Cris knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang —back."**

"Good, the dog is friendly," James said.

"Yeah, it's the ones with the cute names that you need to worry about." Fred said.

"We know," the Trio said. They were thinking of Fluffy and Norbert as well as Aragog.

**Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.**

**"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."**

**He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.**

"I love Fang, he's such a sweet dog," Cris said. Sirius huffed and Cris smiled at him. "Snuffles, doesn't count silly." She said with a smile. Ron and Hermione laughed while Sirius was red from embarrassment.

**There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling; a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.**

**"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked. **

**"This is Ron," Cris told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.**

**"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles.**

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked upset, was this why Ron felt insecure at the time?

**"I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."**

**The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Cris and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons.**

**Fang rested his head on Cris' knee and drooled all over her robes.**

**Cris and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch "that old git."**

**"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her — Filch puts her up to it."**

**Cris told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Cris not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.**

**"But he seemed to really hate me."**

**"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"**

**Yet Cris couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet her eyes when he said that.**

"Hagrid would know," James muttered while Padfoot and Moony nodded.

**"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot — great with animals." **

"Nice topic change," the twins snickered.

**Cris wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Cris picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:**

_**GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**_

_**Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.**_

_**"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokes goblin this afternoon.**_

**Cris remembered Ron telling her on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.**

**"Hagrid!" said Cris, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"**

**There was no doubt about it; Hagrid definitely didn't meet Cris' eyes this time. He grunted and offered her another rock cake. Cris read the story again. **_**The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day**_**. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?**

"Yes," the trio said. Everyone (besides the teachers) was now worried, who was after it.

**As Cris and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Cris thought that none of the lessons she'd had so far had given her as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Cris?**

"I am so sorry, your father's plus my curiosity combined is a very bad combination." Lily said sighing.

"Hey, I'm still alive so my curiosity hasn't killed me yet, though it did come close." Cris said muttering the last part so no one could hear her. She handed the book to Remus, who opened it to chapter nine.

**Author's Note:**

**Voting Complete:**

**Cris/Sirius (9)**

**Cris/Fred (10)**

**Cris/Charlie (7)**

**Cris/George (1)**

**Fred/Cris/George (23) **

**I will make this work somehow, but I hope you all will be pleased. Please keep reading and sorry if there is any misspells or the name is wrong, I try and get it all.**


	10. Chapter 9: The Midnight Duel

"**Chapter Nine: The Midnight Duel," **Remus read.

"You three better not be dueling." Mrs. Weasley said.

"We didn't," the trio said. Cris smiled, she couldn't wait until she sees her dad's face when she makes the house team in her first year.

**Cris had never believed she would meet a boy she hated more than Dudley, but that was before she met Draco Malfoy. **

"Really? Dudley used to hit you and you hate Malfoy more?" Ron asked.

"Yes, all Dudley did was hit me, he never made fun of my friends or rub it in my face about my dead parents." Cris said.

"What are we going to do with you?" Sirius asked with a sigh rubbing his eyes.

"I don't know; maybe squeeze me to death when I am in life threatening situations." Cris suggested.

"We might just do that." Remus, Sirius and her parents said. Cris groaned, she can't believe she gave them an idea.

**Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. **

"Give it a few years," the trio said.

**Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday — and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.**

**"Typical," said Cris darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy." **

James' face lit up but then fell again; his daughter didn't inherit his flying ability but her mother's. Cris however couldn't wait until after the flying lessons.

**She had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.**

**"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."**

"It's not really, he's pretty good but the Gryffindor Seeker is better." Ron said. Cris grinned at her friend while James looked over at Ron hoping to get some information. Ron didn't say anything else so Remus kept reading.

**Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams **

"That does suck; I always hated that rule, that and the one that first years are not allowed their own broomsticks." Padfoot said. James nodded but everyone in the present smiled and the people from the past tried to figure out what they were smiling about.

**and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters.**

**He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom. Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. **

"You did what now?" Charlie asked. Mrs. Weasley was glaring at her youngest son who was now hiding behind Hermione.

"I may have over exaggerated a bit." Ron said. Charlie and Mrs. Weasley were still glaring so Remus continued reading.

**Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared the dormitory with Ron, about football. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Neville told Cris he had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham football team, trying to make the players move. **

Lily, Hermione, Cris and both Remus' started laughing.

**Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Cris felt she'd had good reason, **

"Hey," Neville said with a huff crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sorry Nev," Cris said with a smile. Neville smiled back and waved it off.

**because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground. Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was.**

**This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book — not that she hadn't tried. At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called **_**Quidditch Through the Ages**_**. **

"You can't learn how to fly through a book, its hands on experience that helps you learn." James said.

"I know that now, and I still don't like flying." Hermione said.

**Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail. **

"I was a little over the top, sorry." Hermione said.

"It's fine Mione, you were just nervous." Cris said. They smiled and Remus continued reading.

**Cris hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.**

**A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.**

**"It's a Remembrall!" he explained.**

"Those things are completely useless." Lily said.

"How do you know?" James asked.

"Alice had one, seems like you have her memory as well. She was always forgetting things." Lily said to Neville. Neville smiled shyly at Lily, it made for a nice change to learn things about his parents that weren't about them being Aurors or their success in school.

**"Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh…" His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "… you've forgotten something…"**

**Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.**

**Cris and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash. **

"Of course I can, I taught those three and it has helped me spot trouble." McGonagall said.

"Glad we can help," James said with a grin.

"And yet people still cause me trouble now." McGonagall said. The twins and the trio smirked they still got into trouble and yet none of the teachers have noticed the DA as of yet, although Umbridge was suspecting.

**"What's going on?"**

**"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."**

**Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.**

**"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.**

**At three-thirty that afternoon, Cris, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.**

**The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Cris had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.**

**Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk. **

"Why do you always use animals?" Neville asked.

"You'll find out later," Cris said with a smile over at the younger marauders. Their eyes widened and looked at their older counterparts. When Sirius nodded they smiled in relief, they weren't in trouble at the moment anyway.

**"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."**

**Cris glanced down at her broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.**

"They've gotten worse." James mumbled.

**"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"**

**"UP" everyone shouted.**

**Cris' broom jumped into her hand at once, but it was one of the few that did.**

"You're a natural!" Padfoot shouted.

"Then how come you said you sucked?" James asked staring at his daughter. Cris smiled at him and now he was mentally berating himself for falling for something like that.

"But she still hates Quidditch," Lily pointed out. James looked down but missed the looks around the room.

**Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Cris;**

"Interesting theory," Dumbledore said.

**there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.**

**"Up!" said Ron again only to have it whack him in the face, **

Everyone laughed.

**Cris couldn't help but laugh. **

**"Shut up Cris," he said as Cris giggled behind her hand. **

**Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Cris and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years. **

**"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two —"**

**But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.**

**"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle — twelve feet — twenty feet. Cris saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and —WHAM —**

"Were you alright?" Mrs. Weasley and Lily asked worriedly.

"Yeah, Madame Pomfrey healed me in a second." Neville said. They nodded happy that he wasn't too badly hurt and Remus continued reading.

**a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay face down on the grass in a heap.**

**His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.**

**Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.**

**"Broken wrist," Cris heard her mutter. "Come on, boy — it's all right, up you get."**

**She turned to the rest of the class.**

**"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."**

**Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.**

**No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.**

**"Did you see his face, the great lump?"**

**The other Slytherins joined in.**

**"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.**

**"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."**

"She was just looking out for him, that doesn't mean that she likes him." Lily said. James held her closer and Lily calmed down.

**"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."**

**The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.**

**"Give that here, Malfoy," said Cris quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch.**

**Malfoy smiled nastily.**

**"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find — how about — up a tree?"**

**"Give it here!" Cris yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well.**

"You can out fly him, honey. Potter's are natural fliers." James said. Cris smiled at her dad who still looked sad.

**Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"**

**Cris grabbed her broom.**

**"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move — you'll get us all into trouble."**

"You really lightened up Hermione." Fred said.

"Yeah, what happened?" George asked.

"I became friends with these two." Hermione said pointing to Cris and Ron. They smiled; she really did lighten up since the Troll incident.

"We bow to your greatness, oh daughter of a marauder." The twins said. Cris blushed as everyone laughed and Remus continued reading.

**Cris ignored Hermione. Blood was pounding in her ears. She mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up she soared; air rushed through her hair, and her robes whipped out behind her — and in a rush of fierce joy she realized she'd found something she could do without being taught — this was easy, this was wonderful.**

James, Sirius, Padfoot, Moony, Remus and McGonagall smiled proudly at her.

**She pulled her broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.**

**She turned her broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.**

**"Give it here," Cris called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"**

**"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.**

"Of course he did, you were raised by muggles and you looked like you have been flying for years." Ron said. Cris smiled at her friend who smiled back at her. The twins looked jealous but they knew that Ron only felt like she was just a sister.

**Cris knew, somehow, what to do. She leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Cris made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.**

**"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Cris called.**

**The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.**

**"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.**

**Cris saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. She leaned forward and pointed her broom handle down — next second she was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball — wind whistled in her ears, mingled with the screams of people watching — she stretched out her hand — a foot from the ground she caught it, just in time to pull her broom straight, and she toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in her fist. **

"Sweet Merlin, you caught that on a school broom?" James asked staring at his daughter wide eyed.

"Yes," Cris said blushing a little.

"I couldn't do that on a school broom in first year." Charlie said.

"That's what McGonagall said later." Cris said. James and Padfoot were now trying to figure out what McGonagall had to do with this, Cris didn't get into too much trouble for this did she?

**"CRISTAL POTTER!" **

"It's McGonagall," the past marauders groaned.

"Don't worry; you'll just get a detention, nothing more." Moony said. Cris smiled at them and they really started to hate it now.

**Her heart sank faster than she'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them.**

**She got to her feet, trembling.**

**"Never — in all my time at Hogwarts —" **

"What were you going to say?" James asked. McGonagall looked at James with a small smile.

"Never had I seen anyone dive like that." McGonagall said. James looked at her and she gave him a smile that he rarely seen before. What was going on?

**Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "— how dare you — might have broken your neck —"**

**"It wasn't her fault, Professor —"**

**"Be quiet, Miss Patil —"**

**"But Malfoy —"**

**"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."**

**Cris caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as she left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. She was going to be expelled, she just knew it.**

**She wanted to say something to defend herself, but there seemed to be something wrong with her voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at her; she had to jog to keep up. Now she'd done it. She hadn't even lasted two weeks. She'd be packing her bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursley's say when she turned up on the doorstep?**

**Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to her. **

"My apologies, Miss Potter, I didn't mean to worry you." McGonagall said. Cris just gave her a smile that told her that it was alright.

**She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Cris trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking her to Dumbledore. She thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps she could be Hagrid's assistant. Her stomach twisted as she imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while she stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag. **

People laughed while Cris glared at them.

**Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.**

**"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"**

**Wood? thought Cris, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on her?**

"No, I would never do that." McGonagall said. She looked at the young girl curled into her godfather's side.

"I know I was just used to getting punished like that for every little thing I did wrong." Cris mumbled. McGonagall turned to the headmaster and glared at him.

"She is never going back there Albus, you should have listened to me that night." McGonagall said.

"What's past is past, we can't change it but we can change the future." Dumbledore said. "Although, with these four here we may have a chance to change it." Cris looked happily at this as Sirius kissed the top of her head, hoping that their younger selves will change the future.

**But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.**

**"Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Cris.**

**"In here."**

**Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.**

**"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two students.**

**"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood — I've found you a Seeker."**

"What!" James, Padfoot and Moony shouted.

"You made the team in first year?" Padfoot asked. Cris nodded and everyone began laughing.

"You tricked us, this whole time. Pretending to suck at flying, not like Quidditch." Moony said. Cris nodded and James came over and grabbed her in a big hug.

"I'm so proud!" James said.

"It was very good, not many people could pull one on us. But then again you are the daughter of Prongs and Lily so I shouldn't be surprised." Sirius said.

"You earned yourself a marauder point for that one." Padfoot said. Cris smiled as she was still be hugged by her father.

"Um dad, can you let me go?" Cris asked. James let her go with a kiss to her temple and sat back next to Lily who kissed him. He was still beaming, his daughter, the youngest seeker in a century, he was so proud.

**Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.**

**"Are you serious, Professor?"**

**"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The girl's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"**

**Cris nodded silently. She didn't have a clue what was going on, but she didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to her legs.**

**"She caught that thing in her hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch herself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."**

"True, it would have taken me a few years." Charlie said. Cris hid in her hair as it turned a fusia color which told her friends that she was embarrassed.

**Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.**

**"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.**

**"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.**

**"She's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Bella and staring at her. "Light —speedy — we'll have to get her a decent broom, Professor — a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."**

"I miss my Nimbus," Cris said.

"What happened to it?" James asked.

"Third book," Sirius, the trio and the twins said.

**"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks…"**

**Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Cris.**

**"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."**

**Then she suddenly smiled.**

**"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."**

"Proud isn't the word, more like ecstatic." James said. Cris looked happily at her dad who was smiling back at her.

**"You're joking." **

**It was dinnertime. Cris had just finished telling Ron what had happened when she'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.**

"Now that's impressive. You made a Weasley forget about food." Remus said.

"What would be more impressive is if I can get Sirius to forget about food." Cris said.

"Good luck with that," everyone said. Sirius groaned as Cris got a mysterious glint in her eyes.

**"Seeker?" he said. "But first years never — you must be the youngest house player in about —"**

**" — a century," said Cris, shoveling pie into her mouth. She felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me."**

**Ron was so amazed, so impressed; he just sat and gaped at Cris.**

"He does that more to Hermione." Cris whispered to Sirius.

"They'll probably end up together by seventh year, if not sooner." Sirius whispered back.

"I hope, I can't deal with the sexual tension between the two of them for two more years." Cris whispered looking at her two friends.

**"I start training next week," said Cris. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret." Then Cris thought of something, she had never really thanked McGonagall for letting her on the team. **

**"Ron, I'm just going to go and see her quickly alright?" she said "I won't be long. Don't eat everything."**

**She rose from her seat as Ron said 'Oy!' and speed out of the hall. Running she was almost to the office when she heard voices coming from inside. **

**"The Gryffindor girls dorm is full," she heard McGonagall say. "If Miss Midgeon really wishes to come to Hogwarts, I'm afraid the only thing I can offer her is the boys' dorm. We would put up charms to ensure both her and her dorm mates privacy."**

**"No, Eloise, I'm sorry but you are not." said another women's voice.**

**"Mum please!" wailed a little girl who must be Eloise. Cris was struck with a sudden idea. She knocked on the door. **

**"Come in," she heard McGonagall say, she opened the door and came inside towards the desk where three people were sat. McGonagall was sat behind hands together on the desk. While two chairs opposite her had a women who was fairly short thought very thin, moose colored her and dull brown eyes she reminded Cris of a Hyena. Beside her was a girl around Cris' age who resembled her mother greatly though had several spots across her nose. **

"This is how you ended up in the boys' dorm." Sirius said.

"Yeah, and they know that they don't stand a chance with me, right Ron and Neville." Cris said looking at her dorm mates.

"Right," the said immediately covering themselves up.

"So that's how you can control the Gryffindor boys in your year, very clever." Ginny said.

"It's cruel, but very effective." Lily said. Cris smiled sheepishly while Sirius looked over at Remus with a look that said 'remind me to never piss her off.' Remus chuckled and continued reading.

**"Potter, what can I help you with?" said McGonagall. Both mother and daughter's eyes bulged. **

**"Potter?" said the women "As in Cristal Potter!"**

**"The very same," said McGonagall stiffly.**

"I could tell that you hated it." McGonagall said smiling at Cris.

"Thank you Professor," Cris said giving her teacher a smile.

**"Oh, mummy please! I really want to come now; I'll be with Cris Potter!"**

**"Professor?" said Cris timidly, trying to ignore the two awed stares. "If you don't mind, I overheard about the dorms. If you could maybe... Eloise could take my bed and I'll move?"**

**The girl jumped up and hugged Cris fiercely. Cris went stiff and Eloise let go of her and Cris backed away a little bit. **

"I wasn't used to being hugged." Cris muttered.

"Are you used to it now?" Lily asked sadly at her daughter.

"Yeah, it takes a while at the start of every school year but I get used to it until I go back to the Dursley's again." Cris said. Sirius and Remus growled as Cris' hair went back to her black but tints of red in it. Sirius held her closer as Lily and James were silently cryin and holding each other.

**"Thank you Cris Potter thank you!" she cried. **

**"The Dursley's won't reply to an owl, professor." She added. "Even if they did I don't think they'd care."**

**"Only if you're sure, Potter, this is a very big thing?" Cris nodded. McGonagall took a deep breath. **

**"Well arrangements shall be made," she said "and as for you Miss Midgeon I shall see you next term in Transfiguration." Midgeon looked ready to hug Cris again but seeing her discomfort her mother got up to go, **

**"Come on, Eloise" said her mother "We'll go and buy you books" Eloise jumped up and headed for the door excitedly. Her mother looked at Cris. **

**"Thank you" she said warmly. "You look a lot like your dad, except the eyes, Lily's eyes" **

"You are going to be hearing that a lot aren't you?" James asked.

"Yeah, but I like it even though it gets annoying. I like hearing about you guys." Cris said. Her parents smiled at her and she smiled back at them.

**Cris was about to ask if she had known her parents well when McGonagall spoke.**

"I'm sorry Miss Potter; I didn't realize that you wanted to ask that." McGonagall said looking at her embarrassed student.

"It's alright Professor, I found out more about them since third year." Cris said smiling at her godfather and her uncle, they smiled back at her.

**"Potter, what did you wish to see me for? Surely you wanted something?" Cris looked at her confused, then she remembered the whole reason she was there in the first place. **

**"Oh yeah, I wanted to thank you, you know for letting me on the team." She finished timidly. **

**McGonagall smiled, "I'm sure you'll do most admirably. You may go" Cris left the room and ran once again to tell Ron what had just happened.**

**"Really!" he said in and exited voice Cris nodded. "Wicked! I'll tell them later!" nodding at Seamus, Dean and Neville. **

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Cris, and hurried over.**

**"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too — Beaters." Cris looked at them and grinned. In the excitement of being in a dorm with Ron, she had forgotten even that she had made the team. **

"She looked cute when she was confused," George whispered to Fred.

"Yeah she does, even more so when she's embarrassed." Fred whispered. They nodded; the both of them were hopelessly in love with Cristal Potter.

**"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Cris, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."**

"He really was skipping; it was kinda creepy to watch." George said with a grimace. Cris was trying to picture it but just couldn't.

**"Anyway, we've got to go; Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."**

**"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you." **

"I forgot to ask but was it?" Cris asked.

"It was," the twins said laughing a little bit.

"They are good," James whispered to Padfoot and Moony.

"I wonder if they got it." Padfoot whispered.

"Probably, but how?" James whispered.

"We'll find out more than likely." Moony whispered.

**Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.**

**"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" **

"That little git," James snarled.

**"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Cris coolly. There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl. **

**"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only — no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"**

**"Of course she has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm her second, who's yours?"**

"RONALD!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

"I had too; I didn't want her to look stupid." Ron said.

"Next time, please don't accept a duel for my daughter." Lily said.

"Sorry," Ron said, his ears bright red.

**Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.**

**"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."**

**When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Cris looked at each other.**

**"What is a wizard's duel?" said Cris. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"**

**"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Cris' face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards.**

"So we're not real witches and wizards?" Fred asked feeling hurt.

"All we know is lie!" George yelled. The twins were mock crying so Remus continued reading.

**The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."**

**"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"**

**"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested.**

"That's actually good advice, Ron." Sirius said

**"Excuse me."**

**They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.**

**"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.**

**Hermione ignored him and spoke to Cris.**

"Nothing has changed much." Ginny said with a smile.

**"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying —"**

**"Bet you could," Ron muttered.**

**"— and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."**

**"And it's really none of your business," said Cris shyly.**

**"Good-bye," said Ron.**

**All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, **

"I kind of was." Cris said.

"I can see that, but the end wasn't so good." Lily said.

**Cris thought, as she lay awake much later listening to Hermione, Lavender and Parvati sleeping. Ron had spent all evening giving her advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them." She was concentrating on that now. **

**There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Cris felt she was pushing her luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness — this was her big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. She couldn't miss it.**

"And there's your father's genes coming out in you." Lily said rubbing her face.

"Hey," James said pouting. Lily giggled and kissed his cheek.

**At half-past eleven she snuck out ready to meet Ron. She pulled on her bathrobes, picked up her wand, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. **

**"Alright?" said Ron when he saw her. **

**She nodded "Let's do this."**

**They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from behind them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Cris."**

**A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.**

**"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"**

**"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."**

"Ouch, the family card." Sirius said.

"Now I can see why you were so annoyed with me. I was unbearable." Hermione said.

"You got better after Halloween. So don't worry about anything." Cris said.

**Cros couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering.**

**Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.**

**"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."**

**"Go away."**

**"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so —"**

**But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.**

**"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.**

"That really sucks; too bad you guys don't have the right things." James said.

"Christmas," Cris said with a grin. James' face lit up and Remus continued with a smile.

**"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go; we're going to be late."**

**They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.**

**"I'm coming with you," she said.**

**"You are not."**

**"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."**

"That's really brave of you, although Filch hates the students. He won't listen to you." Bill said.

"True, I didn't think about it." Hermione said with a slight blush.

**"You've got some nerve —" said Ron loudly.**

**"Shut up, both of you!" said Cris sharply. "I heard something."**

**It was a sort of snuffling.**

**"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.**

**It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville.**

"What were you doing out there?" Lily asked. Neville didn't say anything just mumbled and blushed.

**He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.**

**"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours; I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed." **

"Alice had the same problem; it's one of the many reasons why she kept me around." Lily said with a smile.

**"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere."**

**"How's your arm?" said Cris.**

**"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute." **

"So where did you go?" Lily asked.

"Professor Sprout, I'm really good at Herbology." Neville said.

"Same as you mom." Lily said. Neville smiled and Remus continued reading.

**"Good — well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later —"**

**"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."**

**Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.**

**"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you." **

"I'm really good at that spell." Ginny said.

"We know," the twins and Ron said. Ginny grinned mischievously at her brothers and the four girls laughed.

**Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Cris hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.**

**They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Cris expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.**

**Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet.**

**The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Cris took out her wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once.**

**The minutes crept by.**

**"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.**

**Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Cris had only just raised her wand when they heard someone speak — and it wasn't Malfoy.**

**"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."**

**It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Cris waved madly at the other three to follow her as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.**

**"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding."**

"Malfoy snitched on you!" Sirius shouted.

"Don't worry, we got away." Cris said.

"And find something more terrifying." Ron muttered too low for anyone, even the werewolves to hear.

**"This way!" Cris mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run he tripped, grabbed Cris around the waist,**

"Hey, get your hands off of my daughter/goddaughter." Sirius, Padfoot and James said.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself." Neville said with a light laugh.

"Alright," they huffed. Cris giggled and the twins caught their breath again.

**and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor. **

**The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.**

**"RUN!" Cris yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following — they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Cris in the lead,**

"She's fast, it's crazy. No one can keep up with her." Ron said.

"What can I say, I had loads of practice." Cris said. Everyone's faces fell, she shouldn't have had to run to get out of a beating, she should have never been beaten in the first place.

**without any idea where they were or where they were going — they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room. **

**"I think we've lost him," Cris panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping her forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.**

**"I —told — you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I — told — you."**

"Now isn't the time," Moony said.

**"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."**

**"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Cris. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you — Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."**

**Cris thought she was probably right, but she wasn't going to tell her that. **

Hermione glared at her and Cris grinned at her.

**"Let's go."**

**It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.**

**It was Peeves.**

**He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.**

**"Shut up, Peeves — please — you'll get us thrown out."**

**Peeves cackled.**

**"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty." **

The pranksters grinned, Peeves was a good friend and yet an enemy as well.

**"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."**

**"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."**

**"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves**

"Bad idea, very bad idea." Padfoot said. Ron grinned sheepishly and Remus continued shaking his head.

**this was a big mistake.**

**"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"**

**Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door — and it was locked.**

**"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"**

"And Cris is the pessimist? You're as much of one as well." Hermione said. Ron blushed while his siblings laughed.

**They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves' shouts.**

**"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled.**

**She grabbed Cris' wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "Alohomora!"**

**The lock clicked and the door swung open — they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.**

**"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."**

**"Say 'please.'"**

**"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"**

**"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves**

"Good, he won't say anything." James said.

"How do you know?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Prankster always knows," James said.

"He used a double negative," Remus said. Mrs. Weasley nodded her head and Remus went back to the book.

**in his annoying singsong voice.**

**"All right —please."**

**"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!"**

"See?" Sirius laughed.

**And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.**

**"He thinks this door is locked," Cris whispered. "I think we'll be okay — get off, Neville!"**

Cris' father and both versions of her godfathers growled. Neville grinned sheepishly but Cris glared at the three of them.

**For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Cris' bathrobe for the last minute. "What?"**

**Cris turned around — and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, she was sure she'd walked into a nightmare — this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.**

**They weren't in a room, as she had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.**

**They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.**

"Get the bloody hell out of there!" Mrs. Weasley and Lily yelled. Sirius grabbed Cris and Mrs. Weasley grabbed Ron. James sent an appreciative look over at Sirius while Cris was muttering under her breath.

**It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Cris knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.**

**Cris groped for the doorknob — between Filch and death, she'd take Filch.**

"You better," Mrs. Weasley and Lily muttered.

**They fell backward — Cris slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared — all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.**

**"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.**

**"Never mind that — pig snout, pig snout," panted Cris, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.**

**It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.**

**"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does." **

"That's what you said?" Sirius asked laughing. Ron blushed and the twins laughed.

**Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?" **

"The floor?" Tonks asked. Remus laughed and everyone looked at him.

**"The floor?" Bella suggested.**

Everyone was now laughing.

**"I wasn't looking at its feet; I was too busy with its heads."**

**"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."**

**She stood up, glaring at them.**

**"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled.**

"I do hope you got you priorities straight, Mione." Ginny begged.

"Of course," Hermione said with a smile

**Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."**

**Ron stared after her, his mouth open.**

**"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you." **

"Well they didn't, you just got locked out of the Tower." Tonks pointed out. Hermione blushed and Cris and Ron chuckled.

**But Hermione had given Cris something else to think about as she climbed back into bed. The dog was guarding something… What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide — except perhaps Hogwarts. **

"Oh great, thanks Mione, you're the one that started it." Ron said. Hermione blushed and began muttering. Cris got out of Sirius' lap but had a feeling that she will be passed around between him, Remus and her parents.

**It looked as though Cris had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

"Great now that Cris is fixed on this, I think it is time for bed." Mrs. Weasley said. The kids got up but Cris was held back by Sirius and Remus.

"We need to talk with you." Sirius said. Cris nodded wondering what in the world she had done wrong this time. Hermione and Ron gave her a smile as rooms appeared and they went into separate rooms.

"Can we talk as well?" Lily and James asked.

"Of course, come on Cris." Sirius said. The five of them then disappeared into another room opposite of where the bedrooms appeared.


	11. Chapter 10: The Talk and Falling in Love

Cris followed her parents and Sirius and Remus into the room where they stood awkwardly until Cris broke the tension.

"Is it possible to love two people at once?" Cris asked. James and Lily looked startled and Sirius and Remus sighed.

"It can happen; especially the two people are twins." Sirius said.

"Am I thinking that the two people are the twins?" Remus asked. Cris blushed and Lily brought her into a hug.

"Oh honey, nobody can help who they fall in love with." Lily said. James pulled his daughter into a hug.

"As long as they make you happy and treat you right then I don't have a problem with it." James said. Cris held on tighter and sighed happily.

"That's dad, I just thought I was going insane, I always thought that you could only love one person. But with Fred and George, every time they both grin my breath catches and my heart pounds so fast. I just don't know if they like me as well." Cris said.

"Oh, I think they do. Sirius and I have noticed slight things that the both of them have done." Remus said. Cris looked over at her honorary uncle with wide eyes.

"Really, you think they like me too?" Cris asked her eyes wide. Remus smiled and nodded his head.

"Why don't you talk to them in the morning, I think they may either be talking to Molly and Arthur or to Bill and Charlie." Remus said. Cris smiled and hugged all of them again.

"Go to sleep sweet heart, we'll see you in the morning." Lily said kissing Cris' head. Cris nodded her head and hugged her mom and dad tighter before heading into the bedroom Hermione, Ginny and Luna disappeared into.

Fred and George went into the boys room feeling extremely confused. How could the both of them be in love with the same girl? They sat in opposite beds staring at each other trying to figure out the right words to say.

"What's up with you two?" Ron asked.

"You're not planning a way to wake everyone up in the morning are you?" Neville asked. The twins shook their heads and their oldest brothers came over and sat next to one of the twins.

"Fred, George what's wrong, your never this quiet?" Bill asked. Fred nodded to his twin and the told them simultaneously.

"We're in love with Cris." The twins said. Ron and Neville's jaws dropped.

"Is that even possible?" Ron asked.

"Actually yes, it's rare but it can happen and it seems it has happened." Bill said.

"So we're not going to have to fight each other for her?" George asked.

"No, in fact I think she likes the both of you as well." Charlie said.

"Really, how do you know?" they asked.

"Are kidding, I'm her best friend and I've seen her do some pretty wild stuff, and I for one have never seen her this quiet around the both of you." Ron said. Neville nodded beside him still not trusting himself to speak. There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Weasley walked in.

"What are you boys still doing up?" she asked.

"The twins were just talking to us about something really personal." Charlie said. Percy was already in bed, fast asleep and ignoring everything that was going on around him.

"And what might that be?" Mrs. Weasley asked putting her hands on her hips.

"We're in love with the same person." The twins said again.

"Oh, is it Cris, every time she has been looking at you she looks away with a blush and tries to hide in her hair." Mrs. Weasley said.

"You're not mad at us?" Fred asked. The twins looked up at their mom with wide open eyes.

"Not at all, it's rare but it does happen. Usually with identical twins like yourselves, but it happens." Mrs. Weasley said hugging all the boys. "Now go to sleep, talk with her in the morning." She said addressing the twins. Mrs. Weasley walked out of the room. Fred and George shared a smile; they knew they would do anything to protect Cris.

The next morning when everyone was up and waiting for breakfast to get done Cris looked over at the Twins, she smiled and walked over to them.

"Can I talk to you privately?" she asked. They nodded and followed her into a room.

"We have something to say to you as well." Fred said. George nodded next to his twin.

"I'm just going to come out and say it, I think I may in love with the both of you." Cris said with a blush.

"We are too, so don't worry we are not going to force you to pick. Mum told us that one person being in love with two people is possible just rare." George said.

"That's exactly what Sirius and Remus said." Cris said. She looked up into their blue eyes and her breath caught again. She quickly looked down. Fred gently made her look at them again.

"You don't have to be afraid, we won't hurt you." Fred said.

"We'd die before we even considered hurting you." George said. Then George bent down and gently kissed her. The kiss was short and sweet but filled with so much passion but when he let her go she looked put out when Fred kissed her as well. They broke apart when someone knocked on the door and Tonks walked in the room.

"Before any progresses further Molly sent me to fetch you for breakfast." Tonks said with a smile. Cris blushed as the twins chuckled, they each took a hand and walked out of the room for breakfast. When everyone saw them in walk in holding hands they smiled and Hermione and Ginny squealed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ginny asked as she hugged Cris.

"I didn't want to get hopes up." Cris said with a blush. Everyone laughed again and James and Sirius looked over at the twins.

"You hurt her and we will hurt you." Sirius, James and Padfoot said. The twins gulped and nodded their heads very fast.

"Dad, Siri, that's not very nice. They wouldn't hurt me." Cris said kissing each of the twins' cheek. They blushed as their brothers snickered.

When breakfast was done they went and sat down but they switched spots around. Sirius sat next to Remus who next to Fred, Cris and then George. Fred picked up the book and opened it to the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 11: Halloween

"**Chapter 10: Halloween," **Fred read.

Cris, Ron and Hermione grinned where the teachers groaned and paled.

**Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Cris and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Indeed, by the next morning Cris and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one. **

"Are you trying to give me grey hairs?" Sirius asked. Cris looked sheepish and leaned into George and rested her feet in Fred's lap. Everyone smiled at them as Fred continued reading

**In the meantime, Cris filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.**

**"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.**

"Or both," Moody said.

**"Or both," said Cris.**

"I don't know whether or not that you think like Moody." Fred said. Cris slapped him as his twin chuckled behind her holding her close so she could let Fred read.

"Cris is going to have her hands full with those two." Hermione whispered to Ron. Ron nodded as he watched the three.

"It would be good for them, Cris can handle them." Ron whispered back.

**But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues. **

Cris glared at her uncle, he had gotten it so fast while it took them forever to figure it out.

**Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor.**

**All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again. **

"And I didn't," Neville said smirking at the trio.

"Shut Nev," the trio said. The adults groaned and George held her tighter and kissed her head. This caused Cris to turn red and her hair to turn a teal color.

"She really loves them," Ron whispered to Hermione.

"Yeah, if she wants to hide her emotions she should gain more control over her metamorphmagus ability." Hermione whispered. Ron nodded and Fred continued reading.

**Hermione was now refusing to speak to Cris and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus.**

"How in the world did you three become friends?" Tonks asked.

"You'll find out in this chapter." Cris said.

"Will we like it?" Sirius asked.

"Probably not," Ron said. The adults groaned and Fred continued.

**All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.**

**As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. **

"That probably wasn't the most subtly way for her to get the broom, Professor." George said.

"I know, now that I think about it I could have sent it to her privately." McGonagall said.

**Cris was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of her, knocking her bacon to the floor.**

**They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.**

**Cris ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:**

_**DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.**_

_**It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.**_

_**Professor McGonagall **_

James was jumping up and down in his seat looking very excited and Lily had to place a hand on his arm to calm him down.

"I know dad loved Quidditch but I didn't think he was this much of a fanatic." Cris whispered to the twins.

"He could rival Oliver, and that's saying something." George said.

"Can you imagine if the two got together?" Fred asked. Suddenly the three of them looked off at something to try and imagine the chaos.

"What are you three doing?" Sirius asked.

"Trying to imagine the chaos that would happen if dad and Oliver Wood were in a room together." Cris said.

"Now that is a terrifying thought." Ron said. All the kids shivered while James was trying to figure out who this Oliver Wood is.

"Can we get back to reading?" Snape asked.

**Cris had difficulty hiding her glee so her hair turned yellow as she handed the note to Ron to read.**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one." **

"And now I have flown on one and on a Firebolt." Ron said. Cris grinned at her friend and Fred continued.

**They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Cris and felt it. **

The kids snickered and the adults groaned.

"Can you get your minds out of the gutter?" Hermione asked.

"Not likely to happen anytime soon Mione." Ron said. Hermione sighed and shook her head while Cris giggled because George had lightly touched a ticklish spot on her side.

**"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Cris with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."**

**Ron couldn't resist it.**

**"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?"**

**Ron grinned at Cris. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus." **

"Even when Malfoy got the next model Cris still beat him." George said while Cris blushed. Before Fred could continue another note floated into Cris' hands.

_Everyone,_

_I know this may come as a shock, but my siblings and I have discussed this and we have decided to bring someone to you. Please no cursing him and we might be sending someone back later on. Professor Dumbledore if you find it best then take their wands away and try to prevent any fighting. This person is Draco Malfoy. I'm sorry and mom, please don't kill me._

_James II_

Before anyone could protest there was a flash of light and Draco was standing there. He looked shocked but soon recovered and glared at everyone in the room.

"What the bloody hell am I doing here?" Draco asked. Snape stood and approached his student.

"We have all been gathered here to try and prevent some future events from happening. In doing so we were sent a series of seven books about Potter's life. While we are in this room nobody can get punished and no points will be taken or given. Now take your seat Draco so we can continue." Snape said.

"So now that two of the people I hate are in this very room can we please continue?" Cris asked still glaring at Draco. Fred obliged to his girl and continued.

**"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig." **

Draco now knew what was happening glared at Cris who was still glaring at him.

"You ever say that again and we will make sure that you will never be able to have children." Bill said snarling at the blonde Slytherin. Draco shrank back to try and hide himself but couldn't from the glares around the room.

**Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.**

**"Not arguing, I hope?" he squeaked.**

"Oh no, not at all." Tonks said.

"Nope, it's just the usual thing." Cris said. George chuckled and pulled Cris closer to him, holding her until it was his turn to read.

**"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.**

**"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Cris. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"**

Cris and Ron started laughing, remembering Malfoy's face.

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand, it is," said Cris, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," she added. **

"Brilliant!" the twins and both sets of marauders yelled.

"Well, it's true. If Malfoy hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall then I wouldn't be on the team." Cris said. Draco blushed and James beamed.

"So really I should be thanking Malfoy for getting my daughter noticed to get onto the team." James said. Draco looked bewildered; it was his fault that the Gryffindors got an unbeatable seeker.

**Cris and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion.**

**"Well, it's true," Cris chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team…" **

"You really don't need to repeat yourself Bambi." George said.

"That is actually one nickname we didn't think of." Sirius said.

"Really?" the past marauders and the twins said.

"Yeah, we called her fawn, Prongslet, pup or cub." Remus said. Cris blushed and the twins chuckled.

"That is our new nickname for you." Fred said. Cris blushed even brighter and her hair turned fusia again.

**"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Cris' hand. "What did you do to your hair, Cris?"**

"**You didn't tell me you could change your appearance." Ron said looking at Cris' bright yellow hair. **

"**I know that it's rare, I read it in one of the books. It usually only happens when I get really emotional." Cris then turned to Hermione.**

"You really didn't notice that her hair went from black to yellow?" Lily asked Ron.

"Not at first," Ron said.

"I did, and I'm not even Potter's friend." Draco said. Ron's ears turned red so Fred continued reading.

"**I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Cris.**

**"Yes, don't stop now;" said Ron, "it's doing us so much good."**

"I can't believe we acted like jerks." Ron said.

"I know, but all is well now." Hermione said giving a smile to her two friends.

**Cris nudged him warningly but Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.**

**Cris had a lot of trouble keeping her mind on her lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where her new broomstick was lying under her bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where she'd be learning to play that night.**

"Someone sounds excited." Charlie teased. Cris smiled over at him when another arm wrapped around her. Now she was being held by both of her guys.

"Of course she's excited; she's going to be learning how to play the most amazing game in the world!" James said.

"Cris, after this I want to play you in a seeker's match!" Charlie shouted.

"Alright, just don't be a sour puss when I beat you." Cris said giving Charlie a sweet smile. Charlie looked at her dumbfounded while Fred continued reading.

**She bolted her dinner that evening without noticing what she was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.**

**"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto a table in the common room (everyone else was still eating.)**

**Even Cris, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.**

James and Padfoot were literally drooling.

"Prongs, mini me, you might want to close your mouth, her new broom is much better anyway." Sirius said.

"Yeah only this guy would buy an international standard racing broom for a thirteen year old." Remus said. That caused James and Padfoot to drool even more.

**As seven o'clock drew nearer, Cris left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. She never has been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Cris of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through,**

"They do look like that though, don't they?" Lily said with a smile towards her daughter. Hermione, both Remus' and Tonks nodded as well while the rest of the room looked confused.

**except that they were fifty feet high.**

**Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Cris mounted her broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling — she swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever she wanted at her lightest touch. **

The Quidditch fanatics sighed dreamily.

**"Hey, Potter, come down!"**

**Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Cris landed next to him.**

**"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant… you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, and then you'll be joining team practice three times a week." **

"Practice," Fred said.

"Three days a week," George sighed.

"Oh how we miss you." Cris said finishing for them. Those who cared and loved them laughed as the twins each kissed her. Bill and Charlie wolf whistled and James and both Sirius' looked at them before calming down.

**He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.**

**"Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."**

**"Three Chasers," Cris repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a football.**

**"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?" **

"I am a chaser." James said. Cris smiled at her dad as Ginny looked like she wanted to say something but didn't.

**"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Cris recited. "So — that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"**

"What's basketball?" all the purebloods asked.

"I'll show you later, Hermione up for a game of one on one later?" Cris asked.

"Of course," Hermione said with a smile. The twins smiled and shook their heads and Fred continued reading.

**"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.**

**"Never mind," said Cris quickly.**

**"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper — I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."**

**"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Cris, who was determined to remember it all. **

**"And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" She pointed at the three balls left inside the box.**

**"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this."**

**He handed Cris a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.**

**"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers."**

**He showed Cris two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Cris noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.**

**"Stand back," Wood warned Cris. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.**

**At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Cris' face. Cris swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking her nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air — it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground. **

"You would make a fair beater." Sirius and the twins said. Cris smiled and Fred continued reading.

**"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team — the Weasley twins are ours — it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So — think you've got all that?"**

**"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Cris reeled off.**

**"Very good," said Wood.**

**"Er — have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Cris asked, hoping she sounded offhand.**

"Not at Hogwarts," everyone said.

"I know now," Cris said blushing. The twins chuckled and George held her close while Fred read.

**"Never at Hogwarts.**

Everyone blushed while Cris giggled at the look on the twins' face.

**We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. **

"Unless you have an incompetent teacher try and heal your break and instead of healing it completely removing the bones." Cris said rubbing her arm.

"Let me guess this happens to you?" Sirius asked.

"Second book." All the kids said.

**Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers —"**

**"— unless they crack my head open."**

**"Don't worry, the Weasley's are more than a match for the Bludgers — I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves." **

"We're touched, that is the most touching thing Oliver has ever said about us." George said wiping a fake tear.

"So the both of you are keeping up with my skills then." Sirius said.

"You were a beater?" Fred asked.

"Yes, pretty good one too," Padfoot said. The twins looked at the two counterparts in awe. Cris nudged Fred with her foot and he continued reading.

**Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.**

Cris and Charlie smiled, they loved the little snitch.

**"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins their team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. **

"Like the World Cup last year." Bill said.

"That reminds me, how did you two know that would happen?" Cris asked the twins.

"A hunch," the twins said shrugging. James and Padfoot looked excited so Fred kept reading before they got a chance to ask questions.

**That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages — I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep. **

"That would have been an awesome game." James and Ron said.

"Is it a good thing that my dad and best friend said the same thing?" Cris asked Remus.

"Absolutely," Remus said. Cris giggled while James and Ron huffed.

"Man, I wish Umbridge didn't ban us." George said.

"I know, I miss it." Cris said.

"Ban, what do you mean ban?" James asked.

"We beat up Malfoy after a game." George said.

"Why?" Lily and Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Because he was bad mouthing Mrs. Weasley then he started bad mouthing mom. Only reason Fred didn't join in was because he was being restrained but the three of us got banned anyway." Cris said.

"I hate her," James and Sirius said.

"Can we get back to reading?" Snape snapped. Draco kept quiet throughout this whole time and was now receiving many glares from the people around the room, he was thankful that all the wands were taken away.

**"Well, that's it any questions?"**

**Cris shook her head. She understood what she had to do all right; it was doing it that was going to be the problem.**

"Don't worry, you'll do brilliant." James said smiling at his daughter. Cris smiled back at her dad and George held her closer.

**"We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these."**

**He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Cris were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Cris to catch.**

**Cris didn't miss a single one, **

"I didn't even catch every single one." Charlie said slightly upset.

"I'm sorry; I'll try not to be so good." Cris said.

**and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.**

**"That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons." **

"Charlie, how could you?" George asked.

"Sorry, I find dragon's more interesting though Quidditch is a lot of fun." Charlie said.

"I'd rather you play Quidditch." Mrs. Weasley said.

**Perhaps it was because she was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all her homework, but Cris could hardly believe it when she realized that she'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. **

"You shouldn't have had to feel this way." Sirius said.

"Siri, it's fine, I've gotten used to it. Besides in this room is my family, minus a few people." Cris said. Everyone was happy to hear that minus the few people that weren't very happy to be there. George and Fred held Cris for a little while before Fred went back to reading.

**Her lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.**

**On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.**

**Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Cris' partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch her eye). **

"I should have paired with Neville now; Seamus always manages to set something on fire the first time." Cris said.

"I know I don't know how many times the drapes in the dorms caught fire." Ron said.

"It's a very good thing that Cris is in there with us; otherwise everything would have burned down by now." Neville said.

**Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger.**

**It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Cris' broomstick had arrived. She didn't even say goodnight to Cris like she did every night.**

Hermione looked a little guilty but Cris gave her a smile telling her to forget it.

**"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor**

**Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."**

"That doesn't really work." Padfoot said.

"Do we even want to know?" Lily asked.

"Not really," James and Padfoot said.

**Cris curious to if she could do it whispered "Wingardium Leviosa" her feather began to float! An inch from the desk,**

"But I thought that I was the first one to do it." Hermione said.

"It took a long while for me to break the habit." Cris said. George held her tighter as the teachers and the other adults looked sadly at her.

**she looked around to see if anyone had seen and quickly lowered it again.**

**Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — Cris had to put it out with her hat.**

**Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.**

**"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.**

**"You're saying it wrong," Cris heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

**"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.**

"You really shouldn't have done that." Ginny said.

"I know I was really cruel to her." Ron said. Hermione hugged Ron and Fred looked at them with a mischievous glint in his eyes before continuing to read.

**Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

**Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.**

**"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"**

**Cris smiled at Hermione when she wasn't looking, glad someone else could do it.**

"Oh Cris, you should have never had to deal with the Dursley's." Lily said.

"It's okay mom, it took Hermione smacking some sense into me before me and her were taking turns getting things first in our classes." Cris said. Hermione and Cris shared a grin before Fred continued reading.

**Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.**

**"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Cris as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly." **

"How in the world did you three become friends?" Fred asked shaking his head.

"You'll find out in this chapter." The trio said.

"Do you practice that?" George asked.

"No," they said.

**Someone knocked into Cris as they hurried past her. It was Hermione. Cris caught a glimpse of her face — and was startled to see that she was in tears.**

**"I think she heard you."**

**"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends." **

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley snarled.

"I know, I know." Ron said.

"It's okay, it all worked out in the end." Hermione said.

**"Don't be mean," said Cris, wondering if she could go after her, but she didn't know whether she would want Cris' presence. **

"You're such a sweet girl." Lily said. Cris blushed and her hair turned fusia again.

**Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Cris and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds. **

"Ron and his never satisfied stomach is at work again." Cris said shaking her head.

"So what was on your mind?" Sirius asked.

"The decorations, I never really liked Halloween but I really enjoyed the decorations." Cris said.

"I can understand that, and I don't think that my sister ever took you out for Halloween either." Lily said.

"Nah, but there has been more than one occasion that I wanted to go back to Privet Drive on Halloween and using the cloak to scare some little kids." Cris said.

"That is evil, but I can so see you doing that." Hermione said with a laugh. Lily shook her head but wanted to do the same thing.

**A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.**

**Cris was just helping herself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew**

"There is something wrong with that turban." Remus whispered.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"Look at Cris, every time this teacher is mentioned she turns pale." Remus whispered.

"I'm not sure whether or not I am going to like the cause of this reaction." Sirius said.

**and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."**

"How did a troll get in?" the marauders and Lily asked.

**He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.**

**There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.**

**"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"**

**Percy was in his element. **

"Of course he was," the twins growled.

**"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! **

"Did you really think that would work? The first years will be terrified no matter what." Charlie said. Percy's ears turned red and Fred continued reading with a light chuckle.

**Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"**

**"How could a troll get in?" Cris asked as they climbed the stairs.**

**"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."**

**They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Cris suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.**

**"I've just thought — Hermione." **

"Shit, Hermione doesn't know about the troll!" Sirius cursed.

"Let me guess, you two are going to go and get her." Remus said. Ron and Cris looked sheepish so Fred continued.

**"What about her?"**

**"She doesn't know about the troll."**

**Ron bit his lip.**

**"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."**

**Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.**

**"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Cris behind a large stone griffin. **

All of them looked over at Percy.

"It wasn't him." Ron said.

**Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view. **

"What are you doing there?" Sirius asked looking at the potion's master suspiciously. When Snape didn't respond Fred continued reading.

**"What's he doing?" Cris whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"**

All the Aurors looked over at Snape, who was still ignoring them. 'They will know the truth at the end.' He thought.

**"Search me."**

**Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.**

**"He's heading for the third floor," Cris said, but Ron held up his hand.**

**"Can you smell something?"**

**Cris sniffed and a foul stench reached her nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. **

"Great, it's the Troll." Lily said rubbing her eyes.

**And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.**

**It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite grey, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet.**

**The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.**

**The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.**

**"The key's in the lock," Cris muttered. "We could lock it in."**

**"Good idea," said Ron nervously.**

**They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Cris managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.**

"YOU LOCKED ME IN!" Hermione screeched.

"We didn't know you were in there." Ron defended.

"Yeah, what were the odds that it was the bathroom that you were in?" Cris asked.

"It's all your crazy luck working at its best." Hermione said.

"Then we should be thanking it," Cris said. Hermione looked thoughtful but smiled and nodded.

**"Yes!"**

**Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop — a high, petrified scream — and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.**

**"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.**

**"It's the girls' bathroom!" Cris gasped.**

**"Hermione!" they said together. **

"Is it too much to ask that you go and find a teacher?" Lily asked looking hopeful.

"It probably would have been too late." Ron said.

"Sorry mom, you are going to be probably blaming dad for this one again." Cris said with a small smile.

"You're right, I am." Lily said looking at James. James looked sheepish and Fred continued to read before they started to argue.

**It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have?**

**Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Cris pulled the door open and they ran inside.**

**Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint.**

"You try to go up against a troll at eleven." Hermione huffed crossing her arms over her chest.

**The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.**

**"Confuse it!" Cris said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, she threw it as hard as she could against the wall.**

**The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Cris. It hesitated, and then made for her instead, lifting its club as it went.**

"Great, now it's going after you." Lily mumbled holding onto James' arm for dear life. George held onto Cris tighter making her sigh in both annoyance and happiness that someone cared for her.

**"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, **

Ginny grabbed Ron's arm and squeezed it for life.

**giving Cris time to run around it.**

**"Come on, run, run!" Cris yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.**

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape. **

**Cris then did something that was both very brave and very stupid:**

Lily hit James upside the head.

"I blame you." Lily said.

"Sorry for passing on my trouble making genes onto our daughter." James said.

"You can't really blame either one of you. Genes are completely random. I could have been born with red hair and hazel eyes, red hair and green eyes or black hair and hazel eyes. It is a completely random selection." Cris said.

"You so take after your mother." James said with a smile.

**She took a great running jump and managed to fasten her arms around the troll's neck from behind. **

Sirius got up and took Cris out of George's arms and made her sit in his lab where he felt more comfortable.

"Siri, this has already happened. You don't have to worry about me. I'm fifteen not eleven." Cris said.

"Humor us, cup. We just worry about you." Remus said. The twins chuckled as Cris crossed her arms over her chest.

**The troll couldn't feel Cris hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Cris' wand had still been in her hand when she'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils. **

"Ugh, I hoped washed." Charlie said making a face.

"Yep, I had Percy help me." Cris said.

"Wait a second; this is what you three were laughing about?" Lily asked.

"Um yeah," Cris said sheepishly.

"Why were you laughing at this? This is nothing to laugh about!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

"Well, actually as this is four years later it kind of is compared to all the other things that happened this year." Cris said. Mrs. Weasley looked like she was thinking this over but decided not to say anything more, none of them were to get into trouble for future or past events.

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Cris clinging on for dear life; the troll ripped her off by the ankle dangling her in mid-air.**

"No, no, no, no, no, no." Lily said rocking back and forth. James wrapped his arms around her and whispered comforting things in her ear.

"Our baby girl is safe. She is over there in Padfoot's arms, she's safe and protected." James whispered. Lily looked up with tears in her eyes and looked at her baby girl being held by her godfather. She looked exactly like she does when she's annoyed.

**"Do something!" yelled Cris, lifting her body up to miss the blow with the club. **

"Crap," Remus said yanking Cris' hand into his own. Cris rolled her eyes and looked over at the twins in a plead for help. The look she got in return told her that they would but they didn't want to make Remus and Sirius mad.

**"What?" yelled Ron panicked. **

**"Anything!" she said avoiding another blow.**

**Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!" **

"You can't do that spell!" Fred and George yelled. Ron rolled his eyes so Fred continued reading.

**The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, **

"Adrenaline is a good teacher." Ron said.

"Don't I know it." Cris said thinking of the time by the lake rescuing Sirius and herself from dementors.

**rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot, dropping Cris to the floor and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.**

When Sirius' and Remus' grips loosened she escaped and crawled into George's lap again. Her godfather and uncle looked at her with shock on their faces. She smiled innocently at them and placed her head in between the twins' shoulders so that her head was on both of their shoulders.

**Cris got to her feet. She was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.**

**It was Hermione who spoke first.**

**"Is it — dead?"**

**"I don't think so," said Cris, "I think it's just been knocked out."**

**She bent down and pulled her wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy grey glue. **

"Eww," the girls said.

"That's gross," the boys said. This caused everyone to chuckle.

**"Urgh — troll boogers."**

**She wiped it on the troll's trousers.**

**A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.**

"Faker!" coughed Cris.

"What was that?" Fred asked.

"Nothing," Cris said smiling at him. Fred sighed, he loved her smile.

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Cris. Cris had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white.**

"That's never good," Sirius said.

**Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Cris' mind.**

"I was eleven and I've never done something like that before." Cris said crossing her arms. The twins chuckled and they each wrapped an arm around her.

**"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Cris looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"**

**Snape gave Cris a swift, piercing look. Cris looked at the floor. She wished Ron would put his wand down.**

**Then a small voice came out of the shadows.**

**"Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me."**

"You lied to a teacher?!" the pranksters asked.

"I didn't want Cris and Ron to get into trouble." Hermione said blushing slightly.

**"Miss Granger!"**

**Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.**

**"I went looking for the troll because I — I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I've read all about them." **

"The truth would have worked; none of you would have gotten into trouble." McGonagall said. The trio blushed and with a chuckle Fred continued reading.

**Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?**

**"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Cris stuck her wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."**

**Cris and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.**

"Potter succeeded but Weasley failed." Snape sneered.

"You didn't question it sir." Cris said. They glared at each other until Fred continued to read.

**"Well — in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"**

**Hermione hung her head. Cris was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets. **

"That would be a sight to see." Luna said. Everyone chuckled except Snape and Draco who looked ready to start yelling.

**"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."**

**Hermione left.**

**Professor McGonagall turned to Cris and Ron.**

**"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."**

**They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.**

**"We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled. **

"One would think but she was upset that you three risked your lives." Remus said. The trio blushed so Fred continued to read.

**"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."**

**"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."**

**"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Cris reminded him.**

"Someone needed too." Cris said with a smile. Ron blushed and Hermione took his hand while she smiled back at Cris.

**They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.**

**"Pig snout," they said and entered.**

**The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.**

**But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them. **

"And thus the Trio was formed." Everyone still in Hogwarts and not from the past said.

"Can't you do anything normal?" Lily asked.

"I don't even know what normal is. Normal for all I know doesn't exist." Cris said with a slight shrug. Lily shook her head and James laughed a little.

George took the book and Cris moved into Fred's lap. George had a small smile when he read the chapter title but paled when he remembered what happened in her first match.

**Author's Note:**

**New couples vote. I want your opinion.**

**Sirius/OC Robin Lupin(1)**

**Ginny/Draco (0)**

**Ginny/Neville (0)**

**Ginny/Seamus (0)**

**Ginny/Dean (0)**

**Ginny/Sirius (0) **


	13. Chapter 12: Quidditch

"**Chapter Eleven: Quidditch,"** George said.

"Oh I wish Lee was here." Fred said chuckling. Cris giggled and looked wearily at Sirius and her parents again. McGonagall looked at the girl's family wondering what their reactions would be to Cris almost being killed during a game of Quidditch.

"If only Lee was here then he would make this chapter more enjoyable." Ron said.

**As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaver skin boots. **

The Order and the Gryffindors shook their heads fondly.

**The Quidditch season had begun.**

**On Saturday, Cris would be playing in her first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin.**

**If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship. **

The Gryffindors cheered but the Trio looked down, if it hadn't been for them then they wouldn't have lost so many points.

**Hardly anyone had seen Cris play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Cris should be kept, well, secret. But the news that she was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow,**

"Nothing stays a secret at Hogwarts." Bill said. The trio smirked and everyone caught it.

"Seriously, has anything remained secret with these three there?" Charlie asked.

"Not sure, and they will not tell us on their own, these books will reveal it." Sirius said. Cris looked sheepish yet again.

**and Cris didn't know which was worse — people telling her she'd be brilliant or people telling her they'd be running around underneath her holding a mattress. **

"You don't need either, you're a natural." James said.

"Actually, the mattress wouldn't have been a bad idea." Cris said.

"Do we even want to know?" the adults besides the teachers asked.

"Not really," the twins and the trio said.

**It was really lucky that Cris now had Hermione as a friend. She didn't know how she'd have gotten through all her homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. Hermione had also lent her Quidditch Through the Ages, which turned out to be a very interesting read.**

"The only book we willingly read," James, and both Sirius' said.

"I don't know what I am going to do with you two." Lily said shaking her head.

**Cris learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; **

"Ain't that the truth." Cris said. The adults groaned and Sirius looked over at Cris.

"What are we going to do with you?" Sirius asked.

"Love me no matter what?" Cris asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Of course we will. What gave the impression we wouldn't?" Remus asked. Cris buried her head in Fred's shoulder and began mumbling something.

"Oh Crisy, we all love you," Fred said. He had wrapped his arms tighter around her as she curled up more in his lap. Sirius looked sadly at his goddaughter and he was berating himself for going after the rat in the first place.

**that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.**

**Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Cris and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it. **

"Good, you needed it." Fred said with a chuckle.

"Thanks Fred, or George, which ever twin you are." Hermione said.

"Mione, this one is Fred, George is the one reading." Cris said. The rest of the Weasley family looked at her in awe.

"I don't why you're so surprised," George said.

"She can notice the simplest things that are different about us." Fred finished.

"Like Fred's eyes are slightly darker than George's." Cris said. Before anyone could ask for anymore differences George continued reading.

**The day before Cris' first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. **

"That's really advanced magic." McGonagall said.

"Cris helped a lot with it." Hermione said. The teachers eyes turned towards her and Cris hid her face again.

"There are many things that we do not know about you Miss Potter." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes.

**They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Cris noticed at once that Snape was limping. Cris, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. **

"It is as long as you are not using it on another student." McGonagall said. The trio smiled sheepishly so George continued.

**Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.**

**"What's that you've got there, Potter?"**

**It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Cris showed him.**

**"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."**

"That's not a rule Sev!" Lily shouted glaring at her one time friend.

"How do you know that the rules haven't changed?" Snape asked with a sneer.

"They haven't, what possessed you to take the book?" Remus asked glaring at the potion's master. Snape ignored all the glares and George continued.

**"He's just made that rule up," Cris muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"**

**"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly. **

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. Ron looked away from his mom so his brother continued reading.

**The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Cris, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Cris and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway. Cris was trying to break the failing on purpose but it was hard. **

"See, it takes a while but I did succeed." Cris said.

"How long did it take?" Lily asked.

"Third year, fourth, somewhere around that time frame." Cris said. Fred held her tighter to his chest and Cris sighed happily.

**Cris felt restless. She wanted Quidditch Through the Ages back, to take her mind off her nerves about tomorrow. Why should she be afraid of Snape? **

"You shouldn't, but I don't blame you if you did." Lily said.

"I'm not, Neville is, although when we faced the boggart it was pretty hilarious." Cris said.

"It really was." Neville said. The kids laughed and Remus smiled. These kids didn't care that he was a werewolf and yet they still wanted to have him back, teaching them.

**Getting up, she told Ron and Hermione she was going to ask Snape if she could have it.**

**"Better you than me," they said together, but Cris had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening. **

"Damn straight he would give it back." McGonagall said. She glared at her former student, now her colleague who refused to look in her eyes.

**She made her way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. She knocked again. Nothing.**

**Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. She pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met her eyes.**

**Snape and Filch were inside, alone. **

"Aww, my eyes!" the twins and the marauders yelled.

"Get you minds out of the gutter." Cris said.

**Snape was holding his robes above his knees.**

Now everyone under the age twenty five and Sirius were pulling faces.

"It's not what you think." Cris huffed.

**One of his legs was bloody and mangled. **

"Why couldn't you start with that?" Ron asked.

"I'm sorry, next time I'm writing my thoughts down I will start with the innocent comments before I go with the dirty ones." Cris said.

"That was such a Lily response." Sirius said shaking his head.

**Filch was handing Snape bandages.**

**"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"**

"Why did you try and get past the dog?" Remus asked. Snape didn't answer so George continued.

**Cris tried to shut the door quietly, but —**

**"POTTER!" **

"Run!" the twins shouted. Cris looked at them and they quieted down.

"She is good for them; I can't even get them to be quiet." Mrs. Weasley said. Her husband nodded and smiled at the three cuddled close together.

**Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Cris gulped.**

**"I just wondered if I could have my book back."**

**"GET OUT! OUT! "**

**Cris left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. She sprinted back upstairs.**

**"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Cris joined them. "What's the matter?"**

**In a low whisper, Cris told them what she'd seen.**

**"You know what this means?" she finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him — he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"**

"You owe us a broomstick," Ron and Hermione said.

"You can have the pieces," Cris said with a smile.

"The pieces, the nimbus is in pieces?" James asked faintly.

"What happened to it?" Padfoot asked faintly as well.

"The Willow," Remus said. The two from the past looked sadly at Cris who just shrugged it off; she had a better broomstick now.

**Hermione's eyes were wide.**

**"No — he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe." **

**"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Cris. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"**

**Cris went to bed with her head buzzing with the same question. Lavender was snoring loudly, but Cris couldn't sleep. She tried to empty her mind — she needed to sleep, she had to, she had her first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the expression on Snape's face when Cris had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.**

**The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match."**

**"You've got to eat some breakfast."**

**"I don't want anything."**

**"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.**

**"I'm not hungry." **

"Ah, the first pregame jitters." James said.

"Don't listen to your father Cris, he was the same way." Sirius said.

"What side are you on?" James asked his friend.

"Cris', I'm the cool godfather who will spoil her from now on." Sirius said with smile towards Cris.

"You don't have…" Cris started to say.

"Yes we do, so let us do this. It's because we care." Remus said. Cris' face turned bright red so Fred kissed her and George continued reading.

**Cris felt terrible. In an hour's time she'd be walking onto the field.**

**"Cris, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."**

**"Thanks, Seamus," said Cris, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.**

"That made me want to through up." Cris said.

"I'm sure you did." Lily said.

**By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.**

**Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Cris, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined.**

**It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors. **

"Impressive, there seems to be no limits to what you three can and are willing to do." McGonagall said. The trio blushed and George continued reading.

**Meanwhile, in the locker room, Cris and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green).**

**Wood cleared his throat for silence.**

**"Okay, men," he said.**

**"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.**

"You would think that he would remember us right," Cris said with a smile.

"Wood's crazy like that." Fred said.

**"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."**

**"The big one," said Fred.**

**"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.**

**"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Cris, "we were on the team last year."**

Everyone laughed.

**"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."**

**He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."**

"He never came through with that." Cris said.

"He did the last game of the year." Fred said.

"What happens in the last game?" James, Lily, both Sirius' and both Remus' asked.

"Fred," Cris hissed. He gave her a grin that made her heart go crazy.

**"Nervous Cris?" he asked suddenly quietly.**

**"A little," she admitted biting her lip, **

**"Everyone's nervous they're first game." Wood said clumping her shoulder gently. **

**"How did yours go?" she asked him curiously. **

**"Can't really remember, took a bludger to the head ten minutes in, woke up a week later." He said. Cris stared at him her eyes wide with horror. **

"Oliver," the twins said shaking their heads.

"You never tell someone that before their first game." James said.

**"Oliver," Fred snapped. **

**"Ignore him Cris," George said winking. "We won't let the nasty bludger hurt you," **

"You liked me even then didn't you?" Cris asked.

"Yes," the twins said sheepishly.

"Good, make sure that she doesn't get into any trouble during the games." Sirius said.

"We tried, sometimes we succeeded sometimes we don't." George said. The adults and the past marauders stared wide eyed and Cris glared at her second boyfriend.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem." George said.

**Cris knew they weren't teasing her, she swallowed and nodded.**

**"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."**

**Cris followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping her knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.**

**Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.**

**"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her.**

**Cris noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Cris thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him.**

"We thought so too." The twins said.

**Out of the corner of her eye she saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. Her heart skipped. She felt braver. **

"Glad we could help." Neville, Ron and Hermione said.

"What would I do without you guys?" she asked.

"Crash and burn." Hermione suggested.

"Have no one to back you up." Neville suggested.

"Have no fun whatsoever." Ron suggested. Everyone laughed and Cris got up to hug the three of them before climbing back into Fred's lap.

**"Mount your brooms, please."**

**Cris clambered onto her Nimbus Two Thousand.**

**Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.**

**Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.**

**"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too —"**

"I love Lee's commentary," the twins said.

"It's always almost as good as the game." James said.

"Moony always was good at the commentary." Padfoot said.

"That is why I had to sit by the commentator." McGonagall said. The twins looked at Remus in shock while Remus blushed.

**"JORDAN!"**

**"Sorry, Professor."**

**The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.**

**"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — back to Johnson and — no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there — he's going to sc— no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger — Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which — **

"Our own friend can't tell us apart." Fred said sadly.

"At least our girlfriend can," George said. Cris blushed and the twins chuckled and kissed both of her cheeks.

**nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!" **

Everyone besides the Slytherins cheered.

**Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.**

**"Budge up there, move along."**

**"Hagrid!"**

**Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.**

"It changed points of view." Cris said.

"Maybe it was because of what happened during the game." Fred whispered in her ear.

"Maybe," Cris said. On the other side of George, Hermione paled so Ron grabbed her hand. Charlie saw and whispered into Ginny's ear.

"They just need to get together already." Charlie whispered.

"No kidding," Ginny whispered back.

**"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"**

**"Nope," said Ron. "Cris hasn't had much to do yet."**

**"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Cris.**

**Way up above them, Cris was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of her and Wood's game plan.**

**"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be." **

"Good plan," James said.

**When Angelina had scored, Cris had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off her feelings. Now she was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once she caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasley's wristwatches, **

"We usually take them off, sorry," Fred said.

"No worries, I'll punish the both of you later." Cris whispered with a mischievous smile. The twins looked at her with wide eyes as well as Remus.

**and once a Bludger decided to come pelting her way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Cris dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it. **

**"All right there, Cris?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.**

**"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasley's, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?"**

**A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over her shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed her left ear.**

**Cris saw it. In a great rush of excitement she dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch — all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.**

"Idiots," said the fanatics.

**Cris was faster than Higgs — she could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead — she put on an extra spurt of speed —**

**WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below — Marcus Flint had blocked Cris on purpose, and Cris' broom spun off course, Cris holding on for dear life.**

"Was that what happened?" James asked hopefully.

"No, that was just the start." Hermione said. Her parents and godfather and uncle now looked worried.

**"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.**

**Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.**

**Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"**

**"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.**

**"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In football you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"**

"But this isn't football." James said in confusion wondering what the hell football is.

"We'll explain all these terms later dad, don't worry" Cris said with a smile.

**"But this isn't football, Dean," Ron reminded him.**

**Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.**

**"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Cris outta the air."**

"It could work." Lily said.

"But then it won't be Quidditch." James said. Lily glared and James cowered behind Padfoot so George continued reading.

**Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides**

"Of course, Moony had the same difficulty." James said.

**"So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —"**

**"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.**

**"I mean, after that open and revolting foul…"**

"I like this kid," James said.

"I wonder if your son will be bringing him." Sirius wondered. Cris shrugged, she didn't know the answer.

**"Jordan, I'm warning you—"**

**"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."**

**It was as Cris dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past her head, that it happened. Her broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch.**

**For a split second, she thought she was going to fall. She gripped the broom tightly with both her hands and knees. She'd never felt anything like that.**

**It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck her off.**

"What the bloody hell is happening?" James asked. Remus then grabbed Cris out of Fred's lap and held her.

"Remus," Cris complained. Remus shook his head and held her tighter.

**But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Cris tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal-posts — she had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out — and then she realized that her broom was completely out of her control. She couldn't turn it. She couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated her. **

Lily gripped James' arm tightly as Sirius gripped Cris' hand in his. Cris huffed and Fred and George looked amused at their girlfriend.

**Lee was still commentating.**

**"Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet — passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — A no…"**

**The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Cris' broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying her slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went. **

"Why hasn't anyone noticed yet?" James asked his voice strained with worry.

"I'm not sure but we eventually did." Hermione said.

**"Dunno what Cris thinks she's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say she'd lost control of his broom… but she can't have…"**

**Suddenly, people were pointing up at Cris all over the stands. Her broom had started to roll over and over, with her only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Cris' broom had given a wild jerk and Cris swung off it.**

"No, no, no, no, no!" Lily chanted again.

"Mum, I'm alright; I didn't get hurt at all. Thanks to some really good friends." Cris said smirking over at Hermione. Hermione smiled back so George continued, he wanted to get this part over with. He and Fred were really worried when they saw her swing off her broom.

**She was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand. **

**"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked her?" Seamus whispered.**

**"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."**

**At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Cris, she started looking frantically at the crowd.**

**"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, grey-faced. **

**"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look."**

**Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Cris and was muttering nonstop under his breath.**

**"He's doing something — jinxing the broom," said Hermione. **

Sirius got up and started towards Snape with James by his side. Cris and Lily jumped up and stood in their way.

"It wasn't him, Siri, dad. He was trying to save me." Cris said.

"Why?" they asked.

"You'll find out at the end of the book." Cris said.

"Sit down James, it obviously worked or our baby girl wouldn't be standing here." Lily said. James conceded and sat back down with Lily by his side. When Sirius sat down he pulled Cris into his lap instead of Remus'.

**"What should we do?"**

**"Leave it to me."**

"What did you do?" Sirius asked looking at Hermione who blushed. She didn't answer so George continued reading.

**Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Cris. Her broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for her to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasley's flew up to try and pull Cris safely onto one of their brooms, **

"At least we tried to help." Fred said looking over at the girl he and his twin loved.

"That's what counts babe," Cris said with a wink.

**but it was no good – every time they got near her, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath her, obviously hoping to catch her if she fell. **

**Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.**

"I can't believe that Oliver wasn't paying attention." Ron said.

"Well someone was trying to kill me Ron," Cris said. Ron looked at her sheepishly so George continued reading.

**"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately.**

**Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front.**

Hermione paled and Ron noticed.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I hit the turban." Hermione whispered. Ron paled too but then decided to comfort her.

"I'm sure he doesn't remember it." Ron said. Hermione smiled at him.

**Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes. **

"Granger!" Snape yelled.

"I thought you were cursing my friend!" Hermione said staring at the potions master still holding onto Ron's hand for dear life.

"Exactly _sir, _what would you have done if your friend's life was in danger?" Cris asked glaring at Snape. Snape looked at the girl being held hostage by her overprotective godfather. She looked exactly like her mother when she was glaring and angry.

**It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row — Snape would never know what had happened.**

"I do now," Snape muttered.

**It was enough. Up in the air, Cris was suddenly able to clamber back on to her broom.**

**"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.**

"You're a good friend Neville, just like your parents." Remus said.

**Cris was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw her clap her hand to her mouth as though she was about to be sick — **

"What's going on?" Lily asked worriedly.

**she hit the field on all fours — coughed — and something gold fell into her hand. **

"You nearly swallowed the snitch?" James asked excitedly. Cris nodded and Sirius stood and spun her around. James then jumped up as well as Lily, Padfoot and Moony and gave her a giant group hug. When they let go Cris escaped back into Fred's lap and held her close.

**"I've got the Snitch!" she shouted, waving it above her head, and the game ended in complete confusion.**

**"She didn't catch it, she nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference — Cris hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results — Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Cris heard none of this, though. **

"Ah, you were a tad more curious to find out who tried to kill you?" Lily asked. Cris nodded and the twins looked hurt.

"And we had this whole party planned just for you and you didn't show up." Fred said.

"Sorry, but I think I made up for it later." Cris said.

"That you did." George said.

**She was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione.**

**"It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."**

"It's the same for counter-curses as well." Lily said.

"I hadn't read that far yet." Hermione said blushing.

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"**

**Cris, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Cris decided on the truth.**

**"I found out something about him," she told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."**

**Hagrid dropped the teapot.**

**"How do you know about Fluffy?" **

"FLUFFY!" everyone asked.

"Now we know it's dangerous." Charlie said getting over the shock first.

**he said.**

**"Fluffy?"**

**"Yeah — he's mine — bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year — I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the —"**

**"Yes?" said Cris eagerly.**

**"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."**

**"But Snape's trying to steal it."**

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."**

**"So why did he just try and kill Cris?" cried Hermione.**

**The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.**

**"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!" **

**"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Cris' broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh — yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel —"**

**"Aha!" said Cris, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"**

**Hagrid looked furious with himself. **

"Hagrid!" the adults shouted.

"Now Cris has no choice but to search for him." Fred said shaking his head. George passed the book to Hermione and she looked at the title and looked worriedly at Cris.

**Author's Note:**

**Couple's Vote 2:**

**Sirius/oc Robin Lupin(2)**

**Ginny/Draco (3)**

**Ginny/Neville (4)**

**Ginny/Seamus (1)**

**Ginny/Dean (0)**

**Ginny/Sirius (0)**

**Neville/Luna (1)**

**Sirius/Marlene (1) **

**Please keep voting!**


	14. Chapter 13: Mirror of Erised

"**Chapter Twelve: Mirror of Erised" **Hermione read.

"Can we please skip this chapter? It is a tad personal." Cris asked her eyes pleading with all the adults in the room.

"No, we are not going to be skipping any chapters." Dumbledore said. Cris nodded and brought the twins closer to her. Fred and George looked at each wearily, what made _their_ girl react this way?

"I really don't want Malfoy hearing this, he'll just pick on me more." Cris said.

"I assure you Miss Potter, no one in this room will judge you for what happens in this chapter." Dumbledore said.

**Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. **

The trio paled, how would the twins react to throwing snowballs at Voldemort. 'I hope he doesn't remember, I don't want anything to happen to my boys.' Cris thought.

**The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again. No one could wait for the holidays to start.**

**While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.**

"I never like potions during the winter time, it's too cold." Cris said.

"Warming charms won't help the potion, that's why it's so cold down there." Lily said.

"Is there a way to make us warmer without ruining the potions?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure Miss Granger, but we will look into it." McGonagall said. Hermione nodded and went back to reading.

**"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home." **

Everyone turned and glared at the blonde Slytherin.

**He was looking over at Cris as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Cris, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Cris as Seeker next.**

**Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Cris had managed to stay on her bucking broomstick. **

"It was really impressive, most people can't and that includes first years who don't remember their first time on a broom is really impressive." Remus said.

"So I did manage to get her on a broom before we died." James said.

"Yes you did, I have it somewhere," Sirius said trying to think of where the picture is.

**So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Cris about having no proper family. **

"You don't taunt someone about that. Especially someone who was lied to most of their life about how their parents died." Lily sneered glaring at the blonde. Malfoy shrank into the chair that had appeared next to the headmaster. Lily scared him and now that he was there he told himself that he wouldn't say anything about Potter in this room where a lot of people seemed to care about her.

**It was true that Cris wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Cris had signed up at once. She didn't feel sorry for herself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas she'd ever had. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, **

"That was a great Christmas," Cris sighed happily into her boys' arms.

"That snowball fight was fun." Ron said. Percy didn't play so it was the twins versus Ron and Cris and they had won.

**because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.**

**When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.**

**"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, **

"Ah, that was so nice and polite of you." Mrs. Weasley cooed. That was the twins cue to tease him.

"Aw, is ickle Ronniekins embarrassed?" Fred asked. Cris elbowed him in the ribs causing him to shut up.

"The ickle Prefect is so sweet," George said. This caused Cris to elbow him as well. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked impressed at Cris' control over their uncontrollable twins.

**sticking his head through the branches.**

**"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."**

**"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose — that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to." **

All the Weasley siblings glared at the blonde.

"Leave him be guys. We have something he will never have." Cris said.

"And what is that, Potter?" Malfoy sneered.

"We have someone who would willingly lie down their life for someone out of love. Who do you have? Death Eaters for parents, how often are you told that you are loved? How often are you held by your mother when you are worried, hurt or scared? Cause from where I'm sitting the Weasley's are far richer than you will ever be because they have family and love and that is what matters the most." Cris said.

Malfoy turned pink and stared into his lap. All the adults in the room had tears in their eyes and Cris was now being hugged to death by her mom and Mrs. Weasley.

"You are such a sweet and intelligent girl, and I will never know how you turned out the way you did." Mrs. Weasley said. When they let go the twins kissed her again and both of them held her close.

**Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.**

**"WEASLEY!"**

**Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.**

**"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."**

**"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."**

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.**

**"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him —"**

**"I hate them both," said Cris, "Malfoy and Snape."**

"Don't blame you," the twins said.

**"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."**

**So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.**

**"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree — put it in the far corner, would you?"**

**The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.**

**"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.**

**"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me — Cris, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library." **

"Why are you guys going to the library? It's the holidays?" Sirius asked.

"Researching," the trio said.

"Ah, Flamel." The marauders said.

**"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.**

**"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"**

**"Oh, we're not working," Cris told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."**

**"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here — I've told yeh — drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."**

**"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.**

**"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Cris added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere — just give us a hint — I know I've read his name somewhere."**

"Why couldn't I have remembered?" Cris moaned into her hands.

"All those books," Ron groaned.

"Let me guess, the name was right under your nose the whole time?" Lily asked.

"Yes," the trio said. Everyone chuckled and Hermione huffing slightly continued reading.

**"I'm sayin' nothin', said Hagrid flatly.**

**"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.**

**They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book.**

**He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry.**

"He's not going to be there." Sirius chuckled.

"We know that now Siri," Cris grumbled. Sirius let out his bark like laugh and the past marauders noticed the difference in their friends laugh.

**And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.**

**Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random.**

**Cris wandered over to the Restricted Section. She had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and she knew she'd never get one. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts. **

**"What are you looking for, girl?"**

**"Nothing," said Cris.**

**Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at her.**

**"You'd better get out, then. Go on — out!"**

**Wishing she'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Cris left the library. She, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to.**

**Cris waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but she wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks. **

"If there's a way we haven't found it." The twins said. The trio and the marauders smirked. James noticed his daughters smirk and looked at her.

"You got it then?" he asked.

"Got what?" the twins asked.

"This chapter and the other in third year." Cris said mysteriously. The marauders looked excited and the twins wanted to know what she gets this chapter.

**Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined her, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.**

**"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."**

**"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."**

**"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione. **

"It would, I asked them but all they can tell me is that he was a famous alchemist." Hermione said.

"Some muggles have heard of wizards?" Mr. Weasley asked excitedly.

"Some are really famous in the Muggle world for their achievements." Lily explained. Mr. Weasley looked excited but didn't comment on it.

**Once the holidays had started, Ron and Cris were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. **

"Of course, they have short attention spans. Though I understand, it was Cris' first real Christmas that she could remember." Hermione said. Cris and Ron smiled sheepishly over at their friend who smiled back at them.

**Cris had moved into the dormitory, and the two of them had the dormitory to themselves **

"You better not have done anything with our girl Ron." Fred said.

"Ew!" Cris and Ron shouted. This caused the room to erupt into laughter.

**and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork — bread, English muffins, marshmallows — and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work. **

The twins and the marauders looked proud while Draco glared at the two who glared back at him.

**Ron also started teaching Cris wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family — in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.**

**Cris played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent her, and they didn't trust her at all. She wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at her, which was confusing. "Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him; we can afford to lose him."**

**On Christmas Eve, Cris went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all.**

"Oh Cris," the twins said holding her close. Cris blushed and hid her face in George's shoulder.

**When she woke early in the morning, however, the first thing she saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of her bed.**

**"Happy Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Cris scrambled out of bed and pulled on her bathrobe.**

**"You, too," said Cris. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"**

**"What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Cris'.**

"You are so getting a butt load from now on." Sirius said.

"I don't need it," Cris mumbled.

"Stop pup, we want to and you deserve it." Sirius said. Cris blushed so Hermione went back to the book.

**Cris picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Cris, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Cris blew it — it sounded a bit like an owl.**

**A second, very small parcel contained a note.**

**We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.**

**"That's friendly," said Cris.**

"That's friendly? I'd hate to see what isn't." Ginny said.

"You really don't want to know." Cris mumbled. Everyone was now worried but Cris was more so because of what was coming up.

**Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.**

**"Weird!" he said, 'What a shape! This is money?"**

"Ron's like dad," Fred said with a smile.

"I don't know whether that's a good idea or not." George said. Ron glared at his brothers while Cris slapped them both.

**"You can keep it," said Cris, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle — so who sent these?"**

"Us," The Weasley's said. Lily and James got up and hugged Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Thank you for looking after our baby girl when we couldn't." Lily said almost in tears. Cris got up and hugged her parents before going back over to her boys.

**"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mum. I told her you didn't expect any presents and — oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater." **

"What's wrong with mum's sweaters?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing, I just didn't think that Cris would like them." Ron said his ears turning pink.

**Bella had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.**

"Why green?" James asked.

"I didn't know her favorite color and I knew her eyes were green so I thought that they would bring them out more." Mrs. Weasley said.

"What is your favorite color?" Lily asked.

"Purple," the Twins, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Sirius and Remus said. Cris blushed so Hermione kept reading.

**"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."**

"You don't like maroon?" Mrs. Weasley asked a little heart broken.

"Nah, I like blue better." Ron said.

"Then who likes maroon?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I do," Percy said. Mrs. Weasley was now wondering if this was the cause of her Ronnie's insecurity.

**"That's really nice of her," said Cris, trying the fudge, which was very tasty.**

**Her next present also contained sweets — a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.**

"Mione gave us the answer all along." Ron said. Hermione smacked Ron but had a smile on her face.

**This only left one parcel. Cris picked it up and felt it. It was very light. She unwrapped it.**

**Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. **

The marauders smiled, they were happy that it was passed on even if James couldn't give it to Cris himself.

"What is it?" the twins asked. The only thing that kept them in their seats was Cris sitting in their labs.

**Ron gasped.**

**"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavour Beans he'd gotten from Hermione.**

**"If that's what I think it is — they're really rare, and really valuable."**

**"What is it?"**

**Cris picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.**

**"It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, **

"Can we borrow it?" the twins asked.

"Maybe," Cris said with a smirk. The teachers groaned, if the twins got their hands on the cloak there's no telling what they will do.

**a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is — try it on."**

**Cris threw the cloak around her shoulders and Ron gave a yell.**

**"It is! Look down!"**

**Cris looked down at her feet, but they were gone. She dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, her reflection looked back at her, just her head suspended in midair, her body completely invisible.**

"It is weird the first time." James said.

"You have one?" Lily asked.

"Of course, now Cris has it." James said.

"But, that's not possible, the enchantments wouldn't hold for twenty plus years."

"It has lasted a lot longer than that, it was my father's and it has been passed down the Potter line for generations."

**She pulled the cloak over her head and her reflection vanished completely.**

**"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"**

**Cris pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing she had never seen before were the following words:**

**Your father left this in my possession before he died.**

**It is time it was returned to you.**

**Use it well.**

**A Very Happy Christmas to you.**

"Who did you leave it too?" Padfoot asked.

"It's not like you to give the cloak to someone." Moony said.

"Do you know Prongslet?" James asked.

"Yes dad, and so will you at the end of the book." Cris said with a grin.

"You are evil," James said.

"What do you expect, Evans is her mother." Padfoot said. Cris glared at her mini godfather who cowered behind her father.

**There was no signature. Cris stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak.**

**"I'd give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"**

**"Nothing," said Cris. She felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to her father? **

The twins held her tighter to them feeling her tense up some more.

**Before she could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Cris stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. She didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.**

"We get it Bambi; we won't force you if you don't want us to use it." George said.

"It's not that, if I do let you use it then I am going with you." Cris said. The twins grinned; she was going to go with them pranking.

**"Happy Christmas!"**

**"Hey, look — Cris' got a Weasley sweater, too!"**

**Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.**

**"Cris' is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Cris' sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."**

"That's not true Fred," Mrs. Weasley said glaring at the twins.

"We know, she is family now," Fred said. Cris smiled and snuggled closer to the twins.

**"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."**

**"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head. **

**"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid — we know we're called Gred and Forge." **

"Hey Cris, did they switch shirts?" Charlie asked.

"Of course, but that doesn't really fool me." Cris said. The twins smiled and Hermione continued reading.

**"What's all this noise?"**

**Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.**

**"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Bella got one."**

**"I — don't — want —" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.**

**"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family."**

"Seems he forgot about it this year." George snarled. Cris put a hand on his free arm and he looked at her.

"He'll come around Trouble, I'm sure of it." Cris said.

"Trouble?" George asked.

"Of course, if I'm Bambi then you're Trouble and Fred's Mischief." Cris said. The twins grinned and hugged while their siblings smiled, the nicknames suited them.

**They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater. **

**Cris had never in all her life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce – and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table.**

**These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursley's usually bought, with their lit, little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Cris pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.**

**Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice.**

"What is that about?" Cris asked.

"It's an old wizard tradition. Whoever finds the coin gets good luck all next year." Sirius explained. Cris nodded her head and Hermione continued reading.

**Cris watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Cris' amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.**

"That's not something you see often, a drunk McGonagall." James snickered. McGonagall glared at him so Hermione kept reading.

**When Cris finally left the table, she was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non explodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and her own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Cris had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner. **

"I had fun with those kits later that summer before I got bored with it." Cris said. Everyone chuckled so Hermione continued.

**Cris and the Weasley's spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds.**

"Me and Ron versus the Twins. It was a blast." Cris said.

"You're fast." Fred said.

"I'm good a dodging things." Cris said shrugging.

"We know, you did a good job of dodging that bludger in second year." George said.

"George, will you stop giving out secrets?" Cris asked. George looked sheepish and Cris thought he looked adorable.

**Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Cris broke in her new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. **

"Maybe I should have played one of the twins." Cris said.

"Yeah, you should have, I don't anyone has ever beaten Ron since he was like 7." Fred said. Ron looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his head.

**She suspected she wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help her so much. **

Percy glared at her and Cris just stared back not even blinking.

"Careful Perce, no one has ever beaten her in a staring contest." George said with a snicker.

**After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge. **

The twins grinned at each other and Cris shook her head.

**It had been Cris' best Christmas day ever.**

Sirius sighed and rubbed his face, he really shouldn't have gone after the rat.

**Yet something had been nagging at the back of her mind all day. Not until she climbed into bed was she free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.**

**Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Cris leaned over the side of her own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.**

**Her father's… this had been her father's. He had used this; she thought her father had used this. **

**She let the material flow over her hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said.**

**She had to try it, now. She slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around herself. Looking down at her legs, she saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.**

_**Use it well.**_

**Suddenly, Cris felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to her in this cloak. Excitement flooded through her as she stood there in the dark and silence. She could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.**

**Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Cris wake him? Something held her back — her father's cloak — she felt that this time — the first time — she wanted to use it alone.**

"I used it by myself the first time as well. It's nothing to feel selfish about." James said.

**She crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.**

**"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Cris said nothing. She walked quickly down the corridor.**

**Where should she go? She stopped, her heart racing, and thought. And then it came to her. The Restricted Section in the library.**

"The library?" James asked.

"You could have gone anywhere and you choose the library." Padfoot said.

"I was trying to find Flamel." Cris said crossing her arms.

"Then you are excused." James said. Cris smiled slightly while Lily crossed her arms at her future husband.

**She'd be able to read as long as she liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was.**

**She set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around her as she walked.**

**The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Cris lit a lamp to see her way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Cris could feel her arm supporting it, the sight gave her the creeps.**

"It does look creepy. But you do get used to it after a while." Sirius said.

"Siri, I know this. It's been four years." Cris said. Sirius looked sheepish and Cris smiled over at her godfather.

**The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, she held up her lamp to read the titles.**

**They didn't tell her much. Their peeling faded gold letters spelled words in languages Cris couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood.**

**The hairs on the back of Cris' neck prickled. Maybe she was imagining it, maybe not, but she thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be. **

"Be careful, the book you may pick up may scream." Moony said.

"I could have been told this before it happened but no, it happens four years later." Cris grumbled.

"That's how it usually works." The twins said.

**She had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, she looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught her eye. She pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on her knee, let it fall open.**

**A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence — the book was screaming!**

"It's your luck working against you." Ron said.

"Tell me about it." Cris sighed.

**Cris snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. She stumbled backward and knocked over her lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, she heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside — stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, she ran for it. She passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through her, and Cris slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in her ears.**

**She came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. She had been so busy getting away from the library; she hadn't paid attention to where she was going. Perhaps because it was dark, she didn't recognize where she was at all. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, she knew, but she must be five floors above there.**

"Ugh, she needs the map," James mumbled.

"Prongslet said she gets it in her third year." Padfoot pointed out. James nodded and Hermione continued.

**"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section."**

**Cris felt the blood drain out of her face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to her horror, it was Snape who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."**

**Cris stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see her, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into her — the cloak didn't stop her from being solid.**

"Padfoot learned that the hard way." Moony snickered.

"You promised that you wouldn't mention that again." Padfoot whined.

"Now I want to know." Cris and Lily said.

"Like mother like daughter." Remus chuckled.

"We'll tell you later, alright pup." Sirius said. Cris nodded but Lily still didn't look pleased.

"I'll tell you if you really want to know." James said. Lily nodded and Hermione continued.

**She backed away as quietly as she could. A door stood ajar to her left. It was her only hope. She squeezed through it, holding her breath, trying not to move it, and to her relief she managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past, and Cris leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before she noticed anything about the room she had hidden in.**

**It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket – but propped against the wall facing her was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.**

**It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.**

"What does that mean?" Sirius and the twins asked.

"It's not a language I'm familiar with." Lily said frowning.

"It's mirror language." Cris mumbled. Cris was now paling and the twins held onto her, giving her comfort.

"So what does it say?" Ron asked. Hermione looked at it closer and it came to her.

"I show not your face but your heart's desire." Hermione said.

"Can we please get this over with?" Cris asked. Hermione nodded and went back to the book.

**Her panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Cris moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at herself but see no reflection again. **

**She stepped in front of it.**

**She had to clap her hands to her mouth to stop herself from screaming **

"What is it? It's nothing dangerous is it?" Lily asked.

"It's not." Cris reassured her mom.

**She whirled around. Her heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed — for she had seen not only herself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind her. **

"What's going on?" Ginny asked.

"It's showing Cris her heart's desire." Sirius said. He looked over at his goddaughter to see her hiding her face in either Fred's or George's shoulder.

**But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, she turned slowly back to the mirror.**

**There she was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind her, were at least ten others. Cris looked over her shoulder — but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was she in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?**

**She looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind her reflection was smiling at her and waving. **

"It's me," Lily said with tears in her eyes. Cris was now silently crying and Fred and George held her to them.

**She reached out a hand and felt the air behind her. If she was really there, she'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but she felt only air – the women and the others existed only in the mirror.**

**She was a very pretty woman. **

Remus reached over and gripped her shoulder to give her what little comfort he could give his cub.

**She had dark red hair and her eyes —her eyes are just like mine, Cris thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green — exactly the same shape, but then she noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. **

"Of course I would be," Lily mumbled tears streaming down her face. James held her and Hermione continued in a shaky voice.

**The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Cris' did.**

**Cris was so close to the mirror now that her nose was nearly touching that of her reflection. **

Nobody bothered to comment, most of them had tears in their eyes.

**"Mum?" she whispered. "Dad?" **

James was trying to hold back the tears for his baby girl as well.

**They just looked at her, smiling. And slowly, Cris looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like hers, other noses like her, even a little old man who looked as though he had Cris' knobbly knees — Cris was looking at her family, for the first time in her life.**

"Those Dursley's deserve to get beaten." Sirius snarled.

**The Potters smiled and waved at Cris and she stared hungrily back at them, her hands pressed flat against the glass as though she was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. **

The twins were now whispering comforting words in her ears. Cris was still trying to control her sobbing so Hermione went on.

**She had a powerful kind of ache inside her, half joy, half terrible sadness. **

**How long she stood there, she didn't know. The reflections did not fade and she looked and looked until a distant noise brought her back to her senses. She couldn't stay here; she had to find her way back to bed. She tore her eyes away from her mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back," **

"Don't, please don't." Lily said. Cris didn't respond but was now wiping the tears off her face.

**and hurried from the room.**

**"You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly.**

**"You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror."**

**"I'd like to see your mum and dad," Ron said eagerly.**

"It doesn't work that way little bro," Charlie said.

"I know that now." Ron whispered. He was still looking at his friend, he hadn't seen her cry like this since Cedric died.

**"And I want to see all your family, all the Weasley's, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone."**

**"You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people.**

"Ron," his parents and siblings groaned.

"I know," he said.

**Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"**

**Cris couldn't eat. She had seen her parents and would be seeing them again tonight. She had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really? **

"Not good, she not focusing on anything else." Bill said.

"Don't worry, I stop," Cris reassured everyone.

**"Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd."**

**What Cris feared most was that she might not be able to find the mirror room again. **

"You weren't listening?" Ron asked.

"Sorry," Cris said snuggling closer to the warmth that now surrounded her.

**With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Cris' route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.**

**"I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."**

**"No!" Cris hissed. "I know it's here somewhere."**

**They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Cris spotted the suit of armor.**

**"It's here — just here — yes!"**

**They pushed the door open. Cris dropped the cloak from around her shoulders and ran to the mirror.**

**There they were. Her mother and father beamed at the sight of her. **

The twins squeezed her again.

**"See?" Cris whispered.**

**"I can't see anything."**

**"Look! Look at them all… there are loads of them…"**

**"I can only see you."**

**"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am."**

**Cris stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, she couldn't see her family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas.**

**Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.**

**"Look at me!" he said.**

**"Can you see all your family standing around you?"**

**"No — I'm alone — but I'm different — I look older — and I'm head boy!"**

"Your dream is to be head boy?" the twins asked.

"Not anymore." Ron said.

**"What?"**

**"I am — I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to — and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup — I'm Quidditch captain, too."**

"I don't get it." Neville said.

"It'll explain at the end of the chapter I think." Cris said.

**"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"**

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

"I know, I know." Ron said.

**"How can it? All my family are dead — let me have another look —"**

**"You had it to yourself all last night; give me a bit more time."**

**"You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents."**

**"Don't push me —"**

**A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion.**

**They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.**

"Get out of there." The marauders hissed.

**"Quick!"**

**Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron and Cris stood quite still, both thinking the same thing — did the cloak work on cats?**

"She can smell you though if she can't see you." Remus said.

**After what seemed an age, she turned and left.**

**"This isn't safe — she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on."**

**And Ron pulled Cris out of the room.**

**The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.**

**"Want to play chess, Cris?" said Ron.**

**"No."**

**"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"**

**"No… you go…"**

"Dang, that mirror really has you hooked." Fred said.

"How do you stop?" Sirius asked.

"You'll see." Cris said giving him a small smile.

**"I know what you're thinking about, Cris, that mirror. Don't go back tonight." **

**"Why not?"**

**"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it — and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"**

**"You sound like Hermione."**

**"I'm serious, Cris, don't go."**

"Listen to Ron," Hermione said.

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear Hermione say that." Cris said. Everyone chuckled lightly; it was enough to lighten the mood slightly.

**But Cris only had one thought in her head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop her.**

**That third night she found her way more quickly than before. She was walking so fast she knew she was making more noise than was wise, but she didn't meet anyone.**

**And there were her mother and father smiling at her again, and one of her grandfathers nodding happily. **

**"Hi" she whispered**

**Cris sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop her from staying here all night with her family. Nothing at all.**

**Except —**

**"So — back again, Cris?"**

**Cris felt as though her insides had turned to ice. She looked behind her. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. **

"Good, he'll stop you from going." Lily whispered, wiping the tears off her face.

**Cris must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror she hadn't noticed him.**

**"I — I didn't see you, sir."**

**"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Cris was relieved to see that he was smiling. **

**"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Cris,**

"I can't picture Dumbledore sitting on the floor." James said.

**"you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."**

**"I didn't know it was called that, Sir."**

**"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"**

**"It — well — it shows me my family —"**

**"And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."**

"How did he know?" Ron asked.

"I was there Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore said. Ron's ears turned red again.

**"How did you know —?"**

**"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"**

**Cris shook her head.**

**"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"**

**Cris thought. Then she said slowly, "It shows us what we want… whatever we want…"**

**"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them.**

"I don't feel that way anymore." Ron grumbled. Ginny slapped him upside the head and glared at him.

"You better not." Ginny said.

**However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.**

**"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Cris, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"**

**Cris stood up.**

**"Sir — Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"**

**"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however." **

**"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"**

"Cristal! That's a really personal question." Lily said. Cris looked sheepish and Hermione continued.

**"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks." **

"So that's why we buy socks every year." Hermione mused. Cris blushed and the twins snickered and held her tighter.

**Cris stared.**

**"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."**

Everyone chuckled and the twins and the marauders vowed to buy the headmaster socks for Christmas every year.

**It was only when she was back in bed that it struck Cris that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, she thought, as she shoved Scabbers off her pillow, **

Cris shivered, she slept in the same room that the rat was in. Sirius and Remus were thinking the same thing as well so they vowed to each other that they were going to get Cris tested just in case.

**it had been quite a personal question. **

"That's it," Hermione said closing the book and handing it to Ron. Before Ron could start though Lily and James jumped up and hugged their daughter to them so Mrs. Weasley started to make sandwiches for them to eat.

**Author's Note:**

**Couple's Vote 2**

**Sirius/oc Robin Lupin(4)**

**Ginny/Draco (3)**

**Ginny/Neville (6)**

**Ginny/Seamus (3)**

**Ginny/Dean**

**Ginny/Sirius**

**Neville/Luna (3)**

**Sirius/Marlene (1)**

**Please keep voting!**


	15. Chapter 14: Nicholas Flamel

"**Chapter Thirteen: Nicholas Flamel," **Ron said.

"You guys finally find him then?" Sirius asked.

"Shut up," the trio said. They huffed and the two girls crossed their arms and Ron continued.

**Dumbledore had convinced Cris not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of her trunk.**

"Aw, you could have explored the whole school!" James said.

"Sorry dad," Cris said simply.

**Cris wished she could forget what she'd seen in the mirror as easily, but she couldn't. She started having nightmares. **

"We caused our baby girl nightmares." Lily said with tears in her eyes.

"It's alright, Lils. Everything will be alright." James said holding her in his arms.

**Over and over again she dreamed about her parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter. **

"Oh Cris, you shouldn't have had to remember that." Lily said. Cris gave her mom a sad smile before Ron continued.

**"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Cris told him about these dreams. **

"Way to be blunt, Ron." Charlie said.

"Sometimes it can be a good thing." Cris said.

"Really?" they asked.

"I just said sometimes." Cris said. The twins chuckled and kissed her head again.

**Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Cris being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), and disappointment that she hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.**

"Wow, the two of you had very different opinions." Tonks said.

"And they fight constantly." Cris said.

"That can't be fun." Sirius said.

"That reminds us of someone." Remus said.

"Yep, two someone's to be exact." Padfoot said. He looked over at Lily and James who were now getting along and were held by each other.

**That night all the boys came back to the dormitory. They had sat and chatted for hours perfectly at ease in Cris' presence. To which she was relieved as she had worried they wouldn't want to talk in front of a girl.**

"Did you really think that we would care?" Neville asked. Cris blushed again which caused her hair to turn fusia again.

**Ron was telling them about the troll at Halloween he got to the part where it had grabbed Cris' ankle and pulled her so it could see her. He made her sound like damsel in distress. **

**Annoyed Cris sent the jellylegs curse in his direction. **

Everyone was now laughing. This caused Ron to turn red.

**"Cris!" he said as he wobbled around the room. **

**"Sorry I couldn't help it," she laughed as a jelly legged Ron chased her around the room. **

**"I'll do the counter-curse," Seamus said excitedly pulling out his wand. **

**"No, that's all I need you setting my bloody kneecaps on fire." Everyone started to laugh but Seamus who scowled at Ron.**

**"I don't appreciate the accusations, Weasley. Besides if any of had cared to notice, my eyebrows have grown back." He stormed over to his bed, unknowingly revealing the last remaining bald patch just behind his ear. They all laughed behind their hands. Cris un-jinxed Ron and they all went to bed.**

"That sounds like fun." Fred said.

"It was, our nights usually end like that," Ron said.

"With us picking on Seamus for being a pyromaniac." Cris said.

"Or with Cris cursing one of us for picking on her." Neville said.

"Let's just say it's a good thing that Cris can get up on her own." Ron said cringing a little. Everyone was now laughing so hard they had tears leaking out their eyes and down their faces. Once everyone calmed down Ron continued.

**They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Cris was still sure she'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Cris had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again.**

**Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasley's complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic,**

"Becoming? I think he already was." Ron said. The twins nodded but there was also the fact that over the next two years he was overtraining them.

**but Cris was on Wood's side. **

"Traitor!" the twins shouted.

"It helps clear my mind, the wind rushing through my hair clears my mind." Cris said. The twins looked at their love and were now working something out.

**If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Cris found that she had fewer nightmares when she was tired out after training. **

"It's funny how that works, huh?" Lily asked.

**Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasley's, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.**

"I hope you have better luck with these two, we certainly haven't." Mr. Weasley said. Cris grinned and looked over at the two parents before cuddling closer to her boys.

**"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"**

**George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words. **

"That really hurt; at least I wasn't far from the ground." George said. Cris turned to him and kissed him gently with a grin.

"Did that make it feel better?" Cris asked.

"Man, she is more Lily than I thought." Sirius said with a laugh.

"Is that a good thing?" Cris asked.

"Yes and no," Remus said.

"Hey!" Lily and Cris shouted crossing their arms. Everyone laughed, thankfully the wands were taken away otherwise the mother and daughter would curse everyone in the room.

**"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."**

**The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.**

**"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."**

**Which was all very well, thought Cris, but she had another reason for not wanting Snape near her while she was playing Quidditch… **

"I don't want him anywhere near me anyway, but especially when I though he was trying to kill me." Cris whispered to the twins. They nodded in sympathy and Ron continued reading.

**The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Cris headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where she found Ron and Hermione playing chess.**

**Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Cris and Ron thought was very good for her.**

Hermione glared at her two friends. They looked at them sheepishly before Lily spoke up.

"Actually it is good to not excel at everything; otherwise you will never learn anything." Lily said. Hermione blushed and nodded so Ron continued reading.

**"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Cris sat down next to him, "I need to concen—" He caught sight of Cris' face.**

**"What's the matter with you? You look terrible."**

**Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Cris told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.**

**"Don't play," said Hermione at once.**

**"Say you're ill," said Ron.**

**"Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.**

**"Really break your leg," said Ron.**

"That wouldn't work Ron; Madame Pomfrey would heal it in a second." Sirius said.

"And why would you suggest that in the first place?" James asked.

"I didn't want her to get killed after being friends for a few months." Ron said sheepishly, his ear turning red. The twins chuckled and Cris grinned, even after Ron not believing her last year they were still close.

**"I can't," said Cris. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."**

"That would cost you; you should always have a reserve seeker." James said.

"We learned that the hard way." Fred whispered. Both Remus' eyes turned wide, what had that mean, what happened to his cub?

**At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.**

**Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the counter curse.**

"Not everyone laughed." Cris said.

"Yeah, Hermione was just quicker on the draw this time." Ron said.

"Yeah, it's usually Cris who has her wand out faster." Hermione said. Cris blushed so Ron continued reading.

**Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling. "What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Cris and Ron.**

**"Malfoy," said Neville shakily.**

"Mr. Malfoy, you do not curse other students in the halls!" McGonagall shouted glaring at the blonde Slytherin.

**"I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."**

**"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"**

"You should have!" the adults said.

**Neville shook his head.**

**"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.**

**"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."**

**"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out. **

"You need to get your confidence up." Remus said.

"Trust me, he has." Cris said.

"What are you talking about?" the teachers asked.

"It's something that will help their OWL's. It's nothing illegal." Sirius said.

"How do you know?" James asked.

"I'm her godfather, and she talks to me. I told her it would be a good idea to start a study group to learn Defense because their teacher isn't teaching them squat." Sirius said.

"And they got permission to do this from Professor Umbridge?" McGonagall asked.

"Technically we don't have regular get together's, so we are not breaking any rules. We meet when everyone is free." Hermione said. The teachers looked impressed that they took matters into their own hands to teach themselves where the teacher isn't even bothering too.

**Cris felt in the pocket of her robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given her for Christmas. She gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry. **

"You are so sweet." Lily said. Cris blushed through her black and purple hair.

**"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Cris said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin." **

Malfoy glared at Cris who glared right back not even blinking. It was then that Ron decided to keep reading.

**Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.**

**"Thanks, Cris… I think I'll go to bed… D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"**

**As Neville walked away, Cris looked at the Famous Wizard card.**

**"Dumbledore again," she said, "He was the first one I ever —"**

**She gasped. She stared at the back of the card. Then she looked up at Ron and Hermione.**

**"I've found him!" she whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here — listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, **

"All this time and he was on the back on a chocolate frog card?" James asked with a smirk that mirrored Cris'.

"Yes," groaned the trio. This caused everyone chuckled.

**for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"**

**Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.**

"I did not!" Hermione screeched. Cris and Ron looked at her with calculating looks.

"Yes you were." Cris and Ron said. Everyone chuckled while Hermione was red in embarrassment.

**"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Cris and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.**

**"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."**

"Wait, didn't it say that it was an enormous book?" Padfoot asked.

"Why yes, yes it did." Moony said. Hermione blushed and Percy and Draco looked at her.

"You call that light?" Draco asked. Hermione glared and before Ron could continue Percy butted in.

"I'd hate to see what heavy reading is." Percy said. Percy's siblings glared at him and he glanced down ignoring everyone's glares.

**"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.**

**At last she found what she was looking for.**

**"I knew it! I knew it!"**

**"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.**

"So not much has changed then." Neville said. Hermione and Ron mock glared at Neville who smirked at them.

**"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!" **

"What's a Philosopher's Stone?" Ginny asked curious.

"You'll find out in a minute Gin, Hermione tells us." Cris said. Ginny nodded so Ron continued reading.

"**You mean the stone that can turn lead into gold?" Cris asked. Ron looked at Cris with an even more confused look while Hermione looked surprised but smiled anyway. **

**"The what?" said Ron.**

**"Oh, honestly, don't you ever read?**

"You should know Ron by now Mione. He'll only read Quidditch books." Cris said with a grin towards her best friend. Ron turned red again and everyone else chuckled.

**Look – read that, there."**

**She pushed the book toward them, and Cris and Ron read:**

**The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.**

**There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth**

"Bloody hell," James and Padfoot said. Everyone who didn't know about the stone nodded in agreement.

**birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).**

**"See?" said Hermione, when Cris and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"**

**"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Ron. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."**

"Not everyone would want it." Remus said.

"I certainly don't want to live forever." Cris said. Dumbledore looked pleased at her but she didn't see it as she looked over to Ron to continue reading.

**"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Cris. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?" **

"All those books," Ron moaned and everyone laughed again.

**The next morning in Defence Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Cris and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Philosopher's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Cris remembered about Snape and the coming match.**

**"I'm going to play," she told Ron and Hermione. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them… it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win."**

"Good, don't be scared of Snape, just do what you want to do." James said. Cris smiled at her dad.

**"Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione.**

"You know, everyone calls me a pessimist and yet you and Ron say these things out loud, I just keep them to myself." Cris said. Hermione and Ron blushed and the twins were trying to come up with a way to get the two of them together all ready.

**As the match drew nearer, however, Cris became more and more nervous; whatever she told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee? **

"Yes, just catch the snitch quickly." James and Padfoot said. The trio, the twins, Neville and Percy smiled. That was a really fast game, fastest in history at Hogwarts.

**Cris didn't know whether she was imagining it or not, but she seemed to keep running into Snape wherever she went. At times, she even wondered whether Snape was following her, trying to catch her on her own.**

'She is way too observant, I don't know whether that is a good thing or not.' Snape thought as he eyed the raven haired girl. James and Lily on the other hand were eyeing Snape.

"Why were you following my daughter?" James asked. Snape didn't answer so they were left to try and figure it out by themselves.

**Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Cris. Could Snape possibly know they'd found out about the Philosopher's Stone? Cris didn't see how he could — yet she sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds. **

"And now I know you can." Cris said glaring at her Professor.

"You better not be reading her mind, Snape." Sirius snarled.

"I wasn't, otherwise I would have known about her home life and informed the headmaster immediately." Snape said. Cris looked shocked at this. 'Would he really? Or was he just pulling her leg?' she thought. Ron however continued reading before anyone could say anything else.

**Cris knew, when they wished her good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see her alive again.**

"You need to calm down; nothing dangerous can happen during a Quidditch match." James said. Everyone didn't look at James, wondering how he would react to the rogue bludger or the dementors that caused Cris to fall off of her broom.

**Little did Cris know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. **

"You guys are really good friends." Cris said.

"Through thick and thin," Hermione said.

"And even if we fight we always make up in the end." Ron said. Cris jumped up and pulled her two friends into a hug and they hugged her back. Cris went back over to the twins and sat between them so Ron could continue reading. Lily and James smiled at their daughter, happy that even though they couldn't be with them that she has someone to confide in.

**They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Cris. **

"Glad that I could help guys," Neville said with a smile. Malfoy sneered and the trio grinned at Nev.

**"Now, don't forget, it's Locomotor Mortis," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.**

**"I know," Ron snapped. "Don't nag."**

**Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Cris aside.**

**"Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favor Hufflepuff too much." **

"Did you?" the marauders asked.

"Maybe, read and find out." Cris said. They groaned, they hated that answer.

**"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even — blimey — Dumbledore's come to watch!" **

"Good, nothing will happen to you during the match." Lily said. Cris smiled but Ron, Neville and Malfoy winced at the fight during the match.

**Cris' heart did a somersault.**

**"Dumbledore?" she said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard.**

"Why would we lie to you?" Fred asked.

"You never know with you two." Cris said with a grin.

"She's got you two there." Charlie said. The twins blushed but Cris smiled, they looked so cute when they blush. She kissed both of their cheeks as Ron continued reading.

**Cris could have laughed out loud with relief, she was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try to hurt her if Dumbledore was watching.**

**Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry as the teams marched onto the field, something that Ron noticed, too.**

**"I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look — they're off. Ouch!"**

**Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy. **

"What are you trying to do?" Sirius asked the blonde. He ignored him so Ron continued reading.

**"Oh, sorry, Weasley; didn't see you there."**

**Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.**

**"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on her broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?"**

**Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him.**

George grinned while the marauders laughed.

**Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Cris, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.**

**"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all.**

**"It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents,**

Sirius was about to say something but Cris walked over to him and climbed into his lap.

"Siri, it's okay. I'm used to it." Cris said hugging her godfather. Sirius hugged her tightly to him.

"No it's not pup, if I hadn't been so stupid and convinced James to switch they would still be alive." Sirius said into her neck. James heard and stood up and walked over to his older best friend.

"Cris let me." James said. Cris looked up at her father and let go of her godfather.

"Padfoot, it may have not happened to me yet but I understand why you did that. You had the best interest at heart. You couldn't have known that Pete was with the Death Eaters." James said.

"I should have, I grew up with them. I shouldn't have suspected Moony. I should have insisted that Moony be secret keeper instead of Pettigrew. Moony wouldn't have betrayed you." Sirius said. James hugged his friend for the first time, that was when it sunk in that he was actually there and that they will be able to change the past as well as the future.

**then there's the Weasley's, who've got no money — you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains." **

"Don't bother Professor. This will happen in every single chapter and in every single book." Cris said. McGonagall closed her mouth and settled for glaring at the Slytherin.

**Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy.**

**"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.**

"Good for you Neville," Lily said with a smile.

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."**

**"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."**

**Ron's nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about Cris. **

Fred and George opened their mouths to say something Cris turned to them and glared.

"They are so whipped." Bill said.

"What about you and that Fleur girl?" George asked. Bill turned red and their parents looked at him, wondering what their oldest had to do with the French girl.

**"I'm warning you, Malfoy — one more word—"**

**"Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Cris —"**

**"What? Where?"**

**Cris had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Cris streaked toward the ground like a bullet.**

**"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy. **

"Or maybe it's the snitch." Sirius said glaring at the Slytherin some more.

"Sirius, it's okay. He's just jealous that a girl is a better Seeker than he is." Cris said with a smirk towards Malfoy. Malfoy turned pink and looked to the ground.

"Now that is something you don't see every day, a Malfoy blush. I'm so proud of you Prongslet." Padfoot said. Cris smiled but blushed while Malfoy blushed even more.

**Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. **

"Oh no," Mrs. Weasley said. The twins were chanting his name while Ron flushing brightly continued reading.

**Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help. **

The twins were now chanting for their brother and Neville along with James, Padfoot, Sirius, Bill and Charlie. Mrs. Weasley and McGonagall looked sternly at the two boys.

**"Come on, Cris!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Cris sped straight at Snape — she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.**

**Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches — the next second, Cris had pulled out of the dive, her arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in her hand.**

**The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly. **

"How long was the game?" Charlie asked.

"About five minutes." Cris said with a grin. The marauders cheered and James jumped up ran over grabbed his daughter and spun her around again. He put her down again in the twins' lap.

**"Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Cris' won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front. **

"You didn't see or hear the fight going on behind you?" Sirius asked amused. Hermione blushed while Cris chuckled and Ron turned red and continued reading.

**Cris jumped off her broom, a foot from the ground. She couldn't believe it. She'd done it — the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. **

"You are brilliant," Sirius said smiling at his goddaughter.

"You and I need to have a seekers match. I want to see whose better." Charlie said.

"Alright, but don't feel bad to losing to a girl." Cris said smirking at the second oldest Weasley brother. Charlie turned red while everyone laughed.

**Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, she saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped — then Cris felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.**

**"Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Cris could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror… been keeping busy… excellent…"**

**Snape spat bitterly on the ground.**

**Cris left the locker room alone some time later, to take her Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broom shed. She couldn't ever remember feeling happier. She'd really done something to be proud of now – no one could say she was just a famous name any more. **

"I don't know about that." James said. Cris looked at her dad curiously.

"But I don't remember everything from that night. Why should I be famous for something that I don't remember?" Cris asked.

"True," James said.

"We are almost finished with this chapter, can we please continue?" Hermione asked. Everyone nodded and Ron continued reading.

**The evening air had never smelled so sweet. She walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in her head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift her onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.**

**Cris had reached the shed. She leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. She'd done it, she'd shown Snape…**

**And speaking of Snape…**

**A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Cris' victory faded from her mind as she watched. She recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner — what was going on?**

"You followed me?" Snape asked looking surprised at the girl.

"You didn't know that you were being followed by an eleven girl?" Moody asked. Snape blushed while everyone laughed.

"That is something you don't see every day." James said.

**Cris jumped back on her Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle she saw Snape enter the forest at a run. She followed.**

**The trees were so thick she couldn't see where Snape had gone. She flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until she heard voices. She glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree.**

**She climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to her broomstick, trying to see through the leaves.**

"I love climbing trees, it's so peaceful." Cris said sighing happily.

"Why?" Sirius asked fearing the answer.

"It's what I do at the Dursley's, I use them to get away from Dudley and his gang and I sit up there and read or try my hand at drawing." Cris said shrugging.

**Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Cris couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. Cris strained to catch what they were saying.**

**"… d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…"**

**"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy.**

"That failed," Bill said with a chuckle.

**"Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all."**

**Cris leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him.**

**"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"**

**"B-b-but Severus, I —"**

**"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him.**

**"I-I don't know what you—"**

**"You know perfectly well what I mean."**

**An owl hooted loudly, and Cris nearly fell out of the tree. She steadied herself in time to hear Snape say, "— your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting." **

'Damn owl,' Snape thought.

**"B-but I d-d-don't —"**

**"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."**

**He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Cris could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.**

**"Cris, where have you been?" Hermione squeaked.**

**"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Cris on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."**

"Gryffindor parties are fun." The twins said.

"They are, I don't know about the other houses but could go all night." James said.

"We nearly did one time." Fred said.

"Then Professor McGonagall came and made us all go to bed." George sighed.

**"Never mind that now," said Cris breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room; you wait 'til you hear this…"**

**She made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, and then she told them what she'd seen and heard.**

**"So we were right, it is the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy — and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus' — I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through —"**

**"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.**

**"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.**

"That's the chapter." Ron said passing the book to Ginny.

"This should be a fun chapter." Ginny said as she opened to the next chapter.

**Author's Note:**

**Couples vote so far,**

**Sirius/oc Robin Lupin(5)**

**Ginny/Draco (4)**

**Ginny/Neville (6)**

**Ginny/Seamus (3)**

**Ginny/Dean**

**Ginny/Sirius**

**Neville/Luna (5)**

**Sirius/Marlene (1)**

**Please keep voting, probably will choose by the end of the book.**


	16. Chapter 15: Norbert the Dragon

"**Chapter Fourteen: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback," **Ginny said.

"You mean to tell me that there really was a dragon?" McGonagall said. The trio and Charlie looked away.

"What do you have to do with this Charles?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Charlie looked at his mother and looked away.

"Why do you always have to be around dragons?" Sirius asked.

"You mean there is more than this one?" Lily asked frantically.

"The second time wasn't a choice of mine." Cris said. Before anyone could say anything else Ginny started the chapter.

**Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought.**

**In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.**

**Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Cris, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Cris passed Quirrell these days she gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.**

"We were so stupid." Ron said.

"No kidding," Cris said.

"What's going on? Why do you guys not like this teacher other than the obvious?" Remus asked.

"You'll find out." The trio said. Everyone groaned but they know that they won't say anything.

**Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Philosopher's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and color coding all her notes. Cris and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.**

**"Hermione, the exams are ages away."**

**"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."**

"You guys are eleven not over six hundred." Remus pointed out.

"We tried telling her that." Cris and Ron said. Hermione blushed and looked away from everyone.

**"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."**

**"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me…"**

"You really need to relax, Mione. Theirs is no need to over study. Take it from me; I know what it can do to a person." Sirius said. Both Remus' and Lily glared at Sirius who just shrugged his shoulders at them.

**Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones.**

"It never is," the twins and the marauders said.

"Don't we know it." All the kids said.

**It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Cris and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.**

**"I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.**

**Cris, who was looking up "Dittany" in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until she heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"**

"What's Hagrid doing in the library?" James asked.

"Whatever it is I don't want to know." Padfoot said.

"I have a feeling that we are going to find out anyway." Moony said.

**Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.**

**"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once.**

**"An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"**

**"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding; it's a Philosopher's St—"**

"Don't yell it around, Weasley. The students aren't supposed to know about the stone." Moody growled at Ron. All Ron could do was nod his head mutely.

**"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"**

**"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Cris, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy —"**

**"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen — come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh —"**

"Well he kind of did." Lily said.

"He just gave us a helping hand is all." Cris said.

"That is very Slytherin of you Potter." Malfoy said.

"Well considering that I was almost put into Slytherin that I might have some of the characteristics Malfoy." Cris shot back. Malfoy's mouth fell open not knowing how to answer this.

**"See you later, then," said Cris.**

**Hagrid shuffled off.**

**"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.**

**"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?**

**"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.**

**"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide. "**

"He actually managed to get a dragon?" Remus asked.

"Well yeah," the trio said offhand.

**"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him," said Cris.**

**"But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. **

"Not everyone little brother," Charlie said.

"I sure didn't know that." Remus said.

"So you mean to tell me that the almighty dark creature's expert doesn't know everything?" Sirius asked in mock shock.

"Oh shut up Padfoot." Remus said.

**It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden — anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania." **

"I was just visiting Norberta when I showed up here." Charlie said.

"Norbert's a girl!" Ron said astonished.

"Wait until we tell Hagrid that." Cris laughed. Hermione and Ron and the twins laughed along with that.

**"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Cris.**

**"Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."**

**"So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.**

**When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them.**

**It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.**

**"So — yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"**

**"Yes," said Cris. There was no point beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy."**

**Hagrid frowned at her.**

**"O' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts — I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."**

**"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. **

"That's one way to get things out of Hagrid." James said.

"Flattery and getting him drunk." Padfoot said.

"Don't we know it." The trio, the twins and Bill and Charlie said.

"What am I going to do with you boys?" Mrs. Weasley asked shaking her head.

**Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you." **

"You would be great at pranks." George said.

"She would, Moony is and Lily did get a few on us as well." Padfoot said. Hermione blushed, wondering what they would do when they find out about all the stunts that they did.

**Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Cris and Ron beamed at Hermione.**

**"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that… let's see… he borrowed Fluffy from me… then some o' the teachers did enchantments… Professor Sprout — Professor Flitwick — Professor McGonagall —" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell — an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."**

**"Snape?"**

**"Yeah — yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."**

**Cris knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same as she was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything — except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.**

"Nah, Sev was always good at Dark Arts. So it can't be him." Lily said.

"We know mum, it just seemed like it at the time." Cris said.

**"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. Aren't you, Hagrid?" said Cris anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"**

**"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.**

"And Voldemot," Cris whispered quietly. The twins heard her and looked worriedly, how would she know that? They held her tighter to them and Ginny continued reading.

**"Well, that's something," Cris muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."**

**"Can't, Cris, sorry," said Hagrid. Cris noticed him glance at the fire. Cris looked at it, too.**

**"Hagrid — what's that?"**

**But she already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.**

"He had it from an egg?" Charlie asked.

"Did you think that he had bought it from someone as a hatchling and it took us that long to get to you?" Cris asked. Charlie blushed and looked down to the ground.

"I can't believe that he actually managed to get a dragon." Sirius said shaking his head.

**"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's — er…"**

**"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."**

**"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."**

**"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.**

**"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library —Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit — it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here — how ter recognize diff'rent eggs — what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them." **

"They are and they are also vicious." Charlie said.

"I think we figured that one out." Cris said. Both sets of parents and godparents were now worrying about how they knew this.

**He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.**

**"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said.**

**But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.**

**So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.**

**"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, **

The trio started to laugh.

"Have we ever had a peaceful year?" Hermione asked.

"Third year was the most peaceful I think." Cris said.

"Cris, you had an escaped mass murderer out to get you." Ron said. Lily and James were staring wide eyed at their daughter.

"You call that peaceful?!" Lily shrieked.

"Well yeah, the escaped murderer was my godfather." Cris said. Sirius stood and bowed much to the trio's and the twins amusement.

"Lils, she's right. Sirius wouldn't hurt her." James said. Lily calmed down but was still wondering what else they had to face throughout their years.

**as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Cris and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts. Cris was finding it very hard to not fail on purpose. **

Cris blushed as the occupants in the room wanted to go after the Dursley's for their treatment of Cris.

**Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Cris another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: **_**It's hatching**_**. **

"You get to see it?" Charlie asked. The trio nodded and some of the people looked really excited about it.

**Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it. **

"You can be a good influence when it comes to class." Lily said. Hermione blushed while Cris and Ron chuckled.

"She's influenced us a couple of times." Cris said.

"Ooh, then it was probably really good." James said rubbing his hands together.

**"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"**

**"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—"**

**"Shut up!" Cris whispered.**

**Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Cris didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.**

"I heard almost everything." Malfoy said.

"You're just as nosy as I am." Cris said.

"It must be a Black trait then." Remus said.

"What do you mean?" Cris asked.

"You, Ron and Draco all have Black traits." Remus said.

"We're related!" the three and the rest of the Weasley siblings shouted.

"All the pureblood families are. But it is possible that being nosy is a Black trait." Lily said. Hermione looked thoughtful so Ginny continued reading.

**Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end,**

**Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.**

**"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside.**

**The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.**

**They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.**

**All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Cris thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. **

Charlie glared at Cris who just shrugged her shoulders.

"That's what it looked like." Cris said.

"That is an accurate description. Have you ever thought about being a writer Cris?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe but I'll use a penname, to keep it anonymous." Cris said.

"And what would this pen name be?" Sirius asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'll let you know." Cris said with a smile to her godfather.

**Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.**

**It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.**

**"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.**

**"Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!" **

"He's officially lost his mind." Fred said.

"You mean he didn't have it before?" Malfoy asked. Everyone glared at him.

"Shut up Malfoy before you lose some vital parts to you anatomy." Cris snarled.

"And we'll use a dull spoon for it as well." Hermione added. Malfoy physically paled along with the rest of the guys. That's just plain wrong and very painful.

**said Hagrid.**

**"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"**

**Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face — he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.**

"God, someone has seen, what else could go wrong?" Lily asked. When nobody answered Ginny continued reading.

**"What's the matter?"**

**"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains — it's a kid — he's runnin' back up ter the school."**

**Cris bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.**

**Malfoy had seen the dragon.**

**Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Cris, Ron, and Hermione very nervous.**

**They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.**

**"Just let him go," Cris urged. "Set him free." **

"She's too little, she'll die." Charlie said.

"I think Charlie has spent way too much time with Hagrid." George said.

"I totally agree Forge, we must drag him home some time." Fred said.

"Only if I can be in on it." Cris said who heard the whispered conversation.

"Okay Bambi, you can be in on it." George said with a grin towards his girl who smiled back and kissed the both of them.

**"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."**

**They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his game keeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.**

**"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"**

**"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Cris' ear. **

"He most definitely had, why didn't you three come to me from the start?" McGonagall asked.

"We didn't want our friend to get into trouble." Cris said.

"That is very noble of you Miss Potter." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face.

**"Hagrid," said Cris loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."**

**Hagrid bit his lip.**

**"I — I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."**

**Cris suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie." she said.**

"Cristal, honey are you sure you haven't had any brain damage?" Lily asked with a smile on her face. Cris pouted while everyone laughed.

**"You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?" **

**"No — Charlie — your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"**

**"Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?"**

**And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.**

**The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and Cris sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Cris' invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.**

**"It bit me!" he said, **

"They're poisonous!" Charlie nearly yelled. Mrs. Weasley jumped up and nearly smothered Ron with a bear hug.

"Mum, I'm fine. Madame Pomfrey fixed me right up." Ron said.

"It took a while." Cris mumbled.

**showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief.**

**"I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."**

**There was a tap on the dark window.**

**"It's Hedwig!" said Cris, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"**

**The three of them put their heads together to read the note.**

_**Dear Ron,**_

_**How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon.**_

_**Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark.**_

_**Send me an answer as soon as possible.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Charlie**_

**They looked at one another.**

**"We've got the invisibility cloak," said Cris. "It shouldn't be too difficult – I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."**

**It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with her. Anything to get rid of Norbert — and Malfoy.**

"You should have tried, it would have been funny." Fred said.

"Hermione wouldn't let me." Cris said with a pout. Everyone chuckled and Ginny continued.

**There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey — would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.**

**Cris and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.**

**"It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me — I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me**

"No, I don't think she would believe you." Sirius said.

"I don't think she believed me but she didn't question it." Ron said shrugging.

— **I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."**

**Cris and Hermione tried to calm Ron down.**

**"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.**

**"Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no — I've just remembered — Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."**

"You guys have some serious bad luck." Fred chuckled.

"It's Cris' fault." Ron and Hermione said.

"Some friends you are." Cris said crossing her arms and huffing.

"We're just teasing." Hermione said.

"I know it's fun to pick on you guys." Cris said.

"That's because they are easy targets." The twins said. Everyone was now laughing and when they calmed down Ginny continued.

**Cris and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.**

**"It's too late to change the plan now," Cris told Hermione. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."**

"And now I do." Malfoy said.

"And you will never find it, yet alone use so just get that out of your head now, ferret." Cris snarled. Malfoy looked away so Ginny continued to read.

**They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.**

**"I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage — nothin' I can't handle."**

**When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.**

**"Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot — jus' playin' — he's only a baby, after all."**

**The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle.**

"Now that I've been around a baby dragon, I now want a puppy more than ever." Cris said.

"Why not a cat?" Hermione asked.

"I've always been a dog person Mione, you should know that." Cris said. Sirius laughed but still looked proud while Remus looked at the Trio curiously.

**Cris and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.**

**They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.**

**"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."**

"So that's where all the fluff came from." Charlie mused. Everyone now chuckled, imagining a baby dragon with a teddy bear.

**From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Cris as though the teddy was having his head torn off.**

**"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Cris and Hermione covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mummy will never forget you!"**

**How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another – even one of Cris' shortcuts didn't make the work much easier. **

"I'd imagine so, and without the map." George whispered.

"You glad that you guys gave it to me now?" Cris asked.

"Absolutely Bambi, it's rightfully yours." Fred whispered. Cris snuggled into their embrace while Ginny continued reading.

**"Nearly there!" Cris panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.**

**Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows,**

"It's easy to forget." James said.

**staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear. **

The trio tried very hard not to chuckle.

**"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you —"**

**"You don't understand, Professor. Cristal Potter's coming — she's got a dragon!" **

The twins and the marauders were chuckling but the trio were still trying not to laugh.

**"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! **

The rest of the Weasley siblings and the older marauder and the trio were now laughing.

**Come on — I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"**

**The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig.**

**"****Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"**

**"****Don't," Cris advised her. **

"You're not a bad singer I just didn't want us to get caught. You're better than I am anyway." Cris said.

"You're a pretty good singer, you just sing in the shower and everyone can here you." Ginny said.

"_Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers _

_Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs _

_That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care _

_Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers" _Hermione sang.

"And what song is this?" Lily asked.

"It's a Muggle song, by Garth Brooks. It came out early 1991 _(I'm not exactly sure let's just say it was)."_ Cris said.

"I didn't know you liked music." Remus said.

"You learn something new every day." Sirius said with a smile.

**Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness.**

**Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Cris and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Cris and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.**

**At last, Norbert was going… going… gone.**

Lily and Mrs. Weasley sighed in relief, the kids would be safe from dragons this year.

**They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon — Malfoy in detention — what could spoil their happiness?**

**The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.**

**"Well, well, well," he whispered, "we are in trouble."**

**They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.**

"NO!" the marauders and the twins yelled.

"We know, we were stupid." Cris said.

"At least we only really made that mistake only once." Hermione said.

"It only takes once." James said.

"Right Charlie, your next." Ginny said handing the book to her brother. Charlie took the book and opened to the next chapter.

**Author's Note:**

**Couples Vote 2:**

**Sirius/oc Robin Lupin(6)**

**Ginny/Draco (4)**

**Ginny/Neville (7)**

**Ginny/Seamus (3)**

**Ginny/Dean**

**Ginny/Sirius**

**Neville/Luna (5)**

**Sirius/Marlene (1)**

**Please keep reading, will be picking after book one!**


	17. Chapter 16: The Forbidden Forest

"**Chapter Sixteen: Forbidden Forest" **Charlie read.

"What were you doing in the Forest?" Lily asked.

"Detention." Cris said with a shrug. That seemed to have settled the issue so Charlie continued reading.

**Things couldn't have been worse. **

"Are you sure about that?" Sirius asked with a smile.

"I know it could have been a lot worse, I was eleven." Cris said.

**Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chased each other around Cris' brain, each more feeble than the last. **

"You should always have something ready." Fred whispered into Cris' ear.

"I know that now Mischief." Cris smiled at Fred who grinned back at her.

**She couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? **

"It happens; hopefully it won't be too bad." Remus said. The Gryffindors fifth year and up winced, it was rather harsh.

"I don't want to know." Sirius said seeing the wince.

"I'm sorry I did that, I was just hoping that you wouldn't take after your father and godfather." McGonagall said. Cris smiled sheepishly so Charlie continued.

**There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes.**

**Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.**

"I wouldn't take away a family heirloom." McGonagall said.

**Had Cris thought that things couldn't have been worse? She was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.**

**"Cris!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag—"**

**Cris shook her head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.**

**"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."**

**It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.**

**"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble.**

**I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"**

**Cris caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt.**

"It's okay, I understand now," Neville said. Cris smiled at her friend and Charlie continued.

**Poor, blundering Neville — Cris knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them. **

"Hey!" Neville shouted. Cris sent him an apologetic look.

**"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! **

"That certainly isn't true." Remus said.

"I wasn't going to tell the daughter of James Potter that her father and his friends did the same thing. That's just a recipe for trouble." McGonagall said.

"I probably would have done more as well." Cris said with a grin.

**You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Miss Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions — yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous — and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor." **

"Fifty?" the marauders, Bill and Charlie gasped.

"Wait for it," the twins said.

**"Fifty?" Cris gasped — they would lose the lead, the lead she'd won in the last Quidditch match.**

**"Fifty points each," **

"Now that's just unfair," Sirius said.

"Their house would turn on them," Remus said.

"I didn't think of it at the time." McGonagall mumbled.

**said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.**

**"Professor — please —"**

**"You can't —"**

**"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students." **

"And here comes the torture." James said.

**A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup.**

**Cris felt as though the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. How could they ever make up for this?**

"Stop a Dark Lord from being reborn." Fred said. Cris elbowed Fred in the stomach to get him to shut up.

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" James asked.

"It means that You-Know-Who tried to resurrect himself." Lily said.

**Cris didn't sleep all night. She could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Cris couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. She knew Neville, like herself, was dreading the dawn. **

"I was thinking about what Gran would say." Neville mumbled.

"I would have too if my parents were alive or if I lived with Sirius, the Dursley's however wouldn't care, they probably be upset that the dragon didn't kill me." Cris said. Everyone was now looking ready to kill.

**What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done? **

"Nothing good, I'm sure." Lily said.

**At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Cristal Potter, the famous Cristal Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, her and a couple of other stupid first years.**

"How often does this happen to you?" Padfoot asked.

"More than I would like it too." Cris muttered. It was enough for the two werewolves to hear and they were now wondering what in the world could happen to cause it.

**From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Cris was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on her, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. **

"That is utterly ridiculous." Tonks said.

"Wait until next year." Cris mumbled. Tonks would definitely hate it that the Hufflepuffs accused her of attacking fellow students.

**Everywhere Cris went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted her.**

**Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as she walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"**

"Bloody gits," James said.

**Only Ron stood by her.**

Lily stood up and walked over to her daughter's best friend and hugged him.

"Thank you for standing by her." Lily said. Ron then felt a little guilty for the whole thing during fourth year.

**"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."**

**"They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" said Cris miserably.**

**"Well — no," Ron admitted.**

**It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Cris swore to herself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. She'd had it with sneaking around and spying.**

"How long did that last?" Sirius asked chuckling a bit.

"After the detention." Cris admitted. Everyone chuckled, it must have been hard for Cris to not be nosy.

**She felt so ashamed of herself that she went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.**

**"Resign?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"**

**But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Cris during practice, and if they had to speak about her, they called her "the Seeker." **

"Did you two as well?" Remus asked the twins.

"Nah, we only did in a teasing fashion." Fred said.

"It made me feel slightly better as well." Cris admitted. The twins smiled again and kissed her.

**Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Cris, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.**

**Cris was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying she had to do kept her mind off her misery.**

"It is a good way to keep your mind occupied." Cris said with a shrug.

**She, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions…**

**Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Cris' new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern her was put to an unexpected test.**

"Oh no, what happens?" Ginny asked. Cris shook her head so Charlie continued.

**Walking back from the library on her own one afternoon, she heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As she drew closer, she heard Quirrell's voice.**

**"No — no — not again, please —"**

**It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Cris moved closer.**

**"All right — all right —" she heard Quirrell sob.**

**Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Cris didn't think Quirrell had even noticed her. She waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Cris was halfway toward it before she remembered what she'd promised herself about not meddling.**

**All the same, she'd have gambled twelve Philosopher's Stones that Snape had just left the room,**

"You have to admit; you three did do a good job but got the wrong person." Remus said.

"We know, but Professor Snape did implicate himself a lot as well." Cris said.

**and from what Cris had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step — Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.**

**Cris went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Cris told them what she'd heard.**

**"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell —"**

**"There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.**

**"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Cris?"**

**The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Cris could.**

**"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."**

**"But we've got no proof!" said Cris. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor — who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. **

"I would have believed you however I would not believe it was Severus even though it was a Hogwarts Professor." Dumbledore said.

**Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."**

**Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.**

**"If we just do a bit of poking around —"**

**"No," said Cris flatly, "we've done enough poking around."**

"You really tried your hardest." Lily said with a smile.

"She's just really stubborn." Ron and Hermione said. Cris blushed while her godfather and Remus chuckled.

"She comes by it naturally." Sirius chuckled.

"Hey!" Lily and James shouted. Everyone chuckled and Charlie continued reading.

**She pulled a map of Jupiter toward her and started to learn the names of its moons.**

**The following morning, notes were delivered to Cris, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:**

**Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.**

**Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.**

**Professor McGonagall**

**Cris had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. She half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Cris, she felt they deserved what they'd got.**

**At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there — and so was Malfoy. Cris had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.**

**"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.**

**"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them.**

"Not really, we just made sure that we weren't caught." Cris said. The teachers groaned while Dumbledore chuckled with a twinkle in his eyes.

**"Oh yes… hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed… Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."**

**They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Cris wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted. **

"What exactly possessed you to send four first years into the forest at night?" Sirius asked.

"Hagrid needed help with something; I didn't think that it would send them into the forest." McGonagall said. Cris leaned over George to whisper into Hermione's ear.

"This is before the attack as well; I wonder what would happen when they realize I was almost killed by Voldemort." Cris whispered.

"No kidding," Hermione whispered.

**The moon was bright,**

"Was it a full moon?" Remus asked.

"I don't remember. Hermione, Neville, Malfoy, do you guys remember?" Cris asked.

"No," Neville said shaking his head.

"How should I remember?" Malfoy asked with a sneer.

"It was just a simple question, no need to get all snappy." Cris said.

"I think it might have been, but I don't remember." Hermione said with a frown.

**but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Cris could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.**

**"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."**

**Cris' heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. Her relief must have showed in her face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, girl — it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece." **

"Hagrid wouldn't let any of them get hurt." Sirius said with a smirk.

**At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.**

**"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual.**

Without anyone noticing both Cris and Malfoy shivered, Cris often has nightmares but the one of that night was just about reoccurring as the night of the third task. Malfoy had nightmares of that night every so often but it is something that you don't forget.

**"We can't go in there at night — there's all sorts of things in there — werewolves, I heard."**

**Neville clutched the sleeve of Cris' robe and made a choking noise.**

"Has anyone had a crush on her since she moved into the boys' dorm?" James asked.

"Yes," Ron and Neville said.

"Really?" Cris asked.

"You didn't know?" Neville asked. Cris shook her head and looked curiously to her two dorm mates.

"Dean and Seamus both have, but at different times." Ron said. Cris blushed and buried her face into George's shoulder, who snickered.

"Besides, there haven't been werewolves at Hogwarts for at least twenty years." Cris mumbled into George's shoulder.

**"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Cris, Hermione?"**

**"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."**

**"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."**

**"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness. **

"What a git," Fred mumbled. Cris nodded her and switched to bury her head into Fred shoulder.

**Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.**

**"I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Cris was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice. **

The trio grinned while Malfoy scowled.

"How many times has he sound panicked before?" Cris asked.

"More times than you, that's for sure." Ron said. Everyone chuckled while Malfoy's face was now burning.

**"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."**

**"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd—"**

**"—tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on."**

"Go Hagrid!" All the Gryffindor's cheered along with Tonks and Kingsley.

**Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.**

**"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."**

**He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.**

**"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood.**

Gasps were heard around the room.

"What's fast enough to kill a Unicorn?" Lily asked.

"I don't think we want to know." Moony said with a pale face.

**There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."**

**"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.**

**"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. **

**"An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."**

**"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.**

**"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So me, Cris, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. **

"That's a bad pairing." Sirius said.

"No kidding," the three said.

**Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now — that's it — an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh — so, be careful — let's go."**

**The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Cris, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right.**

**They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.**

**Cris saw that Hagrid looked very worried.**

**"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Cris asked,**

"We're not fast enough, cub." Remus said with a smile.

"I know that now, but it was Malfoy's fault for mentioning that werewolves were in the forest." Cris said blushing.

"So that's why your mind was stuck on werewolves that night." Hermione mused with a smile.

**knowing the answer was no but it was a creature even Muggles knew. **

"How many creatures do Muggles know about?" Malfoy asked.

"Almost all of them," Cris said.

"They're in most mythologies." Hermione said.

**"Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."**

**They walked past a mossy tree stump. Cris could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.**

**"You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter — GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"**

**Hagrid seized Cris and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. **

"You could hear that?" Sirius asked.

"I may not have good eyesight but I have very good hearing." Cris said with a shrug.

**Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.**

**"I knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."**

**"A werewolf?" Cris suggested. **

Remus looked over at Cris and shrugged.

"I may have remembered you, if somewhat vaguely, like a dream." Cris said. Remus nodded with a smile.

**"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."**

**They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.**

**"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself — I'm armed!"**

**And into the clearing came — was it a man, or a horse?**

**To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Cris and Hermione's jaws dropped.**

**"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?"**

**He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.**

**"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"**

**"Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Cristal Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur.**

**"We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.**

**"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"**

**"Erm —"**

**"A bit," said Hermione timidly.**

"A bit?" Neville asked. Hermione blushed and looked down.

**"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt — you seen anythin'?"**

**Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.**

**"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now." **

"We know," Sirius and Remus mumbled. The twins pulled Cris closer, giving her what little comfort they could provide.

**"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin' Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"**

**"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."**

**"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"**

**Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets." **

"Urgh, never question a centaur, they never give a straight answer." Sirius said.

"I take it that you find it very irritating?" Cris asked with an innocent look.

"Yes, they just repeat themselves over and over again, I can't stand it!" Sirius said. Cris smiled but Sirius didn't see although Remus did and he had an idea on what it was about.

**" A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and - bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.**

**"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"**

**"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"**

**"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured — would yeh know anythin' about it?"**

**Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. "Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.**

"Urgh," Sirius growled. Everyone chuckled and Charlie continued.

**"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."**

**Cris and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.**

**"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."**

"No kidding," everyone said.

**"Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.**

**"Oh, a fair few… Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs… they know things… jus' don' let on much."**

**"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Cris.**

**"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns – never heard anythin' like it before."**

**They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Cris kept looking nervously over her shoulder. She had the nasty feeling they were being watched. **

"He was watching us." Cris said with wide eyes.

"Who was?" the adults and the past marauders asked. Cris shook her head and cuddled closer to her boys who held her tighter.

**She was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.**

**"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"**

**"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"**

**They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.**

**"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.**

**"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville… it's our fault he's here in the first place."**

Neville smiled in appreciation while Cris just nodded.

**The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Cris' seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others?**

**At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.**

**"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups — Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Cris, you go with Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Cris, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."**

"You really do have the worst luck ever." Fred said shaking his head.

"It goes both ways." The trio said together. This made a lot of people chuckle.

**So Cris set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Cris thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker.**

**There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Cris could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.**

**"Look —" she murmured, holding out her arm to stop Malfoy.**

"What is it?" Lily and Mrs. Weasley asked.

**Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.**

**It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Cris had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.**

**Cris had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made her freeze where she stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered… Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Cris, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood. **

"He's doing what?" Moony asked.

"He's drinking the blood." Remus said with a look of disgust on his face.

"Who would be that desperate?" Padfoot asked.

"Voldemort," Cris said.

"Wow wait, Potter, you're telling me that was the Dark Lord under that hood?" Malfoy asked wide eyed.

"Yeah, why is it so surprising? He's been after me my whole life." Cris said. The past marauders and Lily were now determined more than ever to change the future.

**"AAAAAAAAAARGH!"**

**Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted — so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Crus — unicorn blood was dribbling down its front.**

**It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Cris — she couldn't move for fear. **

"Now isn't the time to freeze." Sirius said. The twins were now holding Cris closer to them.

**Then a pain like she'd never felt before pierced her head; it was as though her scar were on fire. **

"What's going on, what's with your scar?" James asked worriedly. When nobody answered Charlie continued reading even though James and Lily were still looking worried.

**Half blinded, she staggered backward. She heard hooves behind her, galloping, and something jumped clean over Cris, charging at the figure.**

**The pain in Cris' head was so bad she fell to her knees.**

"How the hell do you get out of there?" Lily asked clinging onto James for dear life.

**It took a minute or two to pass. When she looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over her, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.**

**"Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Cris to her feet.**

"A centaur is helping you?" Sirius asked shocked. When Cris nodded sheepishly Sirius as well as the other adults looked impressed.

"You really do amazing things." Remus said with a smile.

**"Yes — thank you — what was that?"**

**The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Cris, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Cris' forehead.**

**"You are the Potter girl," he said.**

"Even centaurs know you." Mr. Weasley said with a smile.

**"You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time — especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way. **

"No way," James said.

"YOU GOT TO RIDE A CENTAUR!" Sirius yelled. Everyone was looking at Cris whose hair turned fusia again.

**"My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Cris could clamber onto his back.**

**There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.**

**"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"**

**"Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter girl. The quicker she leaves this forest, the better."**

**"What have you been telling her?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"**

**Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice.**

**Bane kicked his back legs in anger.**

"I don't like this centaur." James mumbled.

**"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"**

**Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Cris had to grab his shoulders to stay on.**

**"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."**

**And Firenze whisked around; with Cris clutching on as best she could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.**

**Cris didn't have a clue what was going on.**

**"Why's Bane so angry?" she asked. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"**

**Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Cris to keep her head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Cris' question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Cris thought Firenze didn't want to talk to her anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.**

**"Cris Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" **

"You actually have a normal conversation with a centaur?" Padfoot asked.

"Well normal is a relative term, what exactly is normal?" Cris countered. That got everyone thinking but Dumbledore who just chuckled at the brilliant answer.

**"No," said Cris, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."**

**"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."**

**Cris stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.**

**"But who'd be that desperate?" she wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?"**

"One would think." Remus said. The others nodded so Charlie continued.

**"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else — something that will bring you back to full strength and power — something that will mean you can never die. Miss Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"**

**"The Philosopher's Stone! Of course — the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who —"**

**"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"**

**It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Cris' heart. Over the rustling of the trees, she seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told her on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die." **

"You quickly figured that out." Tonks said. Cris smiled sheepishly and nodded.

**"Do you mean," Cris croaked, "that was Vol- "**

**"Cris! Cris, are you all right?"**

**Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.**

**"I'm fine," said Cris, hardly knowing what she was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."**

**"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."**

**Cris slid off his back.**

**"Good luck, Cristal Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."**

"We all did," Mrs. Weasley said.

**He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Cris shivering behind him.**

**Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Cris roughly shook him awake.**

"You dream about Quidditch?" Charlie asked with a smile on his face. Ron's face turned red and the others chuckled.

**In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Cris began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest.**

**Cris couldn't sit down. She paced up and down in front of the fire. She was still shaking.**

"Anyone would be." Cris mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. Malfoy quickly nodded his head in agreement. He had a sleepless night that night.

**"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort… and Voldemort's waiting in the forest… and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich…"**

**"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.**

**Cris wasn't listening.**

"That happens a lot when it comes to the name." Ron mumbled.

**"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so… Bane was furious… he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen… They must show that Voldemort's coming back… Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me… I suppose that's written in the stars as well." **

"Merlin, I hope not," Sirius, Remus and the twins said.

**"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.**

**"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Cris went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off… Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."**

**Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.**

**"Cris, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of, with Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."**

Everyone who took Divination laughed, it was a very stupid subject.

**"And to think I've been worrying about my potion final," Ron said. **

**The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over. **

"Please be something good, please be something good." Lily said.

**When Cris pulled back her sheets, she found her invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it:**

_**Just in case. **_

"Good, you got it back." Sirius said.

"That's the end of the chapter." Charlie said. Charlie handed it to Bill who groaned at the chapter title.

**Author's Note:**

**Couples Vote number 2-**

**Sirius/oc Robin Lupin(6)**

**Ginny/Draco (4)**

**Ginny/Neville (7)**

**Ginny/Seamus (3)**

**Ginny/Dean**

**Ginny/Sirius**

**Neville/Luna (5)**

**Sirius/Marlene (1)**

**Please keep voting! I will pick at the end of the book!**


	18. Chapter 17: Through the Trapdoor

"**Chapter Seventeen: Through the Trapdoor," **Bill read.

"Oh dear god, you are bound and determined to give me grey hair aren't you?" Sirius asked.

"Sorry Siri," Cris said with a smile. Sirius and Remus shook their head while the twins chuckled and kissed Cris again.

**In years to come, Cris would never quite remember how she had managed to get through her exams when she half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. **

"You would too." Cris said with a huff crossing her arms over her chest. Everyone laughed until they settled down and Bill continued reading.

**Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.**

**It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-cheating spell. **

"Has anyone ever tried to cheat?" Hermione asked.

"Every now and then." McGonagall said.

"Now that's just plan sad." Cris muttered too low for anyone to hear.

**They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap dance across a desk. **

"That is always fun," Lily said. Everyone nodded with her.

**Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion. **

"I that's not ironic, then I don't know what is." Padfoot said with a smirk.

**Cris did the best she could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in her forehead, which had been bothering her ever since her trip into the forest. **

"Does that happen often?" Lily asked.

"More sense last summer." Cris said she unconsciously rubbed her forehead.

"What happened last summer?" James asked. Cris shook her head and looked down trying hard not to cry. The twins pulled her closer to them and held her.

**Neville thought Cris had a bad case of exam nerves because Cris couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Cris kept being woken by her old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it. **

"Nightmares I'm used to." Cris said again. The twins then held her and made a silent promise to try and beat the nightmares away.

**Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Cris had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Cris. **

"It was a bit of both to tell you the truth." Ron said.

"Same here," Hermione said.

**The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to.**

**Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Cris couldn't help cheering with the rest.**

**"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds.**

**"I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."**

**Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows. **

"He loves it." The twins and the marauders said.

**"No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Cris, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."**

**Cris was rubbing her forehead.**

**"I wish I knew what this means!" she burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this."**

**"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.**

**"I'm not ill," said Cris. "I think it's a warning… it means danger's coming…"**

**Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.**

**"Cris, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once; he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."**

**Cris nodded, but she couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something she'd forgotten to do,**

"You've thought of something else haven't you?" Sirius asked. Cris nodded and now everyone was wondering what that something was.

**something important. When she tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."**

**Cris was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. She watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent her letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy… never… but…**

**Cris suddenly jumped to her feet.**

**"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.**

**"I've just thought of something," said Cris. She had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."**

**"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.**

**"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Cris, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket?**

"Now that is suspicious." Tonks said.

"If that guy knows Hagrid then he knew what he wanted most and how to get him to open up and tell him most everything." Moody said.

**How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?" **

"Because you were young and you usually don't have to worry about something like this." Lily said.

**"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Cris, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer.**

**Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.**

**"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"**

**"Yes, please," said Ron, but Cris cut him off.**

**"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"**

**"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."**

**He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.**

**"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's one of the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."**

**Cris sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"**

**"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah… he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here… He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after… so I told him… an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon… an' then… I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks…**

**Let's see… yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted… but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home… So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"**

**"And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Cris asked, trying to keep her voice calm.**

"You are very brilliant for an eleven year old." Bill said. Cris blushed, while Bill went on.

**"Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep —" **

"So now whoever it is that is after the Stone knows how to get past Fluffy." Remus said. The trio nodded and looked away.

**Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.**

**"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey — where're yeh goin'?"**

**Cris, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.**

**"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Cris. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak — it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"**

**They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.**

"Why didn't,"

"You think,"

"Of us, dear brother?" the twins asked.

"I have no idea, this all happened very fast." Ron said.

"Sorry," Cris mumbled from the twins' lap.

**"We'll just have to —" Cris began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.**

**"What are you three doing inside?"**

**It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.**

**"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Cris and Ron thought.**

**"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. **

"It usually is." Remus said.

"With these three though, they always seem to know something they shouldn't." McGonagall said. The trio looked sheepish while the guardians present shook their heads.

**"Why?"**

**Cris swallowed — now what?**

**"It's sort of secret," she said, but she wished at once she hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.**

**"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."**

**"He's gone?" said Cris frantically. "Now?"**

**"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time – "**

**"But this is important."**

**"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?" **

"Yeah, I would say it is. It could have caused the Dark Lord rising three years earlier than he did." Cris said.

"Lies!" Percy snarled.

"Shut up, Percy." The Weasley sibling and Hermione and Cris said.

**"Look," said Cris, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor — it's about the Philosopher's Stone —" **

"I would have loved to have seen her face." Sirius laughed. The younger marauders and the twins laughed.

**Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.**

**"How do you know —?" she spluttered.**

**"Professor, I think — I know — that Sn— that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." **

"If you would have told me you three wouldn't have had to go down there." McGonagall said.

"Nobody usually believes me, that's how it is at the Dursley's. I'm blamed for everything." Cris said. The teachers in the room looked down, they should have seen the signs.

**She eyed her with a mixture of shock and suspicion.**

**"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected." **

The trio smirked which was caught by everyone in the room.

"Three first years got past the protection placed by fully trained witches and wizards?" Sirius asked with an amused look.

**"But Professor —"**

**"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."**

**But they didn't.**

**"It's tonight," said Cris, once she was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note; I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up." **

"Was it, sir?" Cris asked.

"Yes it was," Dumbledore said with a slight chuckle.

**"But what can we —"**

**Hermione gasped. Cris and Ron wheeled round.**

**Snape was standing there.**

**"Good afternoon," he said smoothly.**

**They stared at him.**

**"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.**

**"We were —" Cris began, without any idea what she was going to say.**

**"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"**

"Greasy dungeon bat," Fred murmured.

**Cris flushed but her hair turned bright red.**

"You need to control that ability a bit better Potter," Snape sneered. Cris in turn glared at him making her hair go to bright red as it said in the book.

"I'd like to see you try, _sir. _It's not as easy as it looks. It takes all my control when I'm at the Dursley's to not let it do that with the fear of being beaten." Cris said. Snape looked taken back as well as Malfoy, growing up he heard that the girl-who-lived was pampered and spoiled, instead she was actually beaten.

**They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.**

**"Be warned, Potter — any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."**

**He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.**

**Out on the stone steps, Cris turned to the others.**

**"Right, here's what we've got to do," she whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape — wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that."**

**"Why me?" **

"Isn't that obvious, Mione?" Fred asked.

"You can pretend that you are worried about some question that you might have gotten wrong in Herbology or Charms." Sirius said. Cris and Ron were now laughing.

**"It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried; I think I got question fourteen b wrong… '" **

The twins and Sirius were now laughing along with Cris and Ron.

**"Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.**

**"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Cris told Ron. "Come on."**

**But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.**

**"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!"**

**Cris and Ron went back to the common room, Cris had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.**

**"I'm sorry, Cris!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."**

**"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Cris said.**

**The other two stared at her. She was pale and her eyes were glittering.**

"We know that look all too well." Hermione said. Cris looked sheepish but the others looked curious.

"It's her I've got a crazy plan look." Ron said. Cris blushed while the others shook their heads.

**"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first." **

"You get that from your father." Lily said.

**"You're mad!" said Ron.**

**"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"**

**"SO WHAT" Cris shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursley's and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side!**

Sirius and Remus looked proud at their little girl; she's always been their little girl in their eyes. The others around the room looked shocked.

**I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"**

**She glared at them.**

**"You're right Cris," said Hermione in a small voice.**

**"I'll use the invisibility cloak," said Cris. "It's just lucky I got it back."**

**"But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.**

"Did you really expect us to let you go by yourself?" Ron asked. Cris turned red and hid her face.

"Your insane," Hermione and Ron mumbled.

"No, she's just her father's daughter." Remus said.

**"All — all three of us?"**

**"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"**

**"Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful…"**

**"But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too."**

"You were worried, how sweet." Hermione said.

"It was dangerous." Cris pointed out. This caused a lot of the adults to fret with worry over the Trio.

**"Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. **

"I didn't even get that much." Lily and Moony said. This caused everyone to chuckle slightly.

**They're not throwing me out after that."**

**After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Cris any more, after all. This was the first night she hadn't been upset by it.**

**Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. **

"That's not a bad idea but first year spells wouldn't be used." Remus said.

"Don't we know it." The trio said.

**Cris and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.**

**Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.**

**"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Cris ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. She pulled out the cloak and then her eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given her for Christmas. She pocketed it to use on Fluffy — she didn't feel much like singing. **

"Aww, you're a good singer though." Hermione said with a grin.

**She ran back down to the common room.**

**"We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us – if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own —"**

**"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.**

"You try and stop them aren't you?" Mrs. Weasley asked. When Neville nodded and blushed, Mrs. Weasley hugged him.

"It didn't go to well," Neville said.

"We've apologized!" the trio said before Mrs. Weasley or Lily could scold them.

**"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Cris, hurriedly putting the cloak behind her back.**

**Neville stared at their guilty faces.**

**"You're going out again," he said.**

**"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"**

**Cris looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.**

**"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."**

**"You don't understand," said Cris, "this is important."**

**But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.**

"Now I know why you were desperate and I am sorry." Neville said.

"How about this none of us apologize for past or future actions." Cris said. Everyone still in Hogwarts nodded in agreement.

**"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll — I'll fight you!"**

**"Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot —"**

**"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"**

"I didn't exactly mean us," Ron said Neville nodded and blushed again.

**"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."**

**He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.**

**"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!" **

**Cris turned to Hermione.**

**"Do something," she said desperately.**

**Hermione stepped forward.**

**"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this."**

**She raised her wand.**

**"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Neville.**

"You cursed him?!" Sirius and Remus said. Hermione nodded and the two adult marauders looked at her in shock.

"Remind me to never get on her bad side." Sirius whispered to Remus.

**Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.**

**Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.**

**"What've you done to him?" Cris whispered.**

**"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."**

**"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Cris.**

**"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak.**

**But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.**

**"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Cris' ear,**

"Do it!" the twins shouted.

"We didn't, but we did do something better." Ron said. Cris glared at him until he was cowering behind Hermione.

"Actually Cris did something better." Ron amended. Cris smiled and Bill continued with a smile on his face.

**but Cris shook her head. As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamp like eyes on them, but didn't do anything.**

**They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.**

**"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"**

"How in the world did you not get caught?" James asked.

"You'll see," the trio said smirking.

**He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.**

**"Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."**

**Cris had a sudden idea.**

"Those are usually the best." Remus and Moony said.

**"Peeves," she said, in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible." **

"There is absolutely no way that Peeves fell for that." Charlie said.

"5 galleons says he does," Sirius said.

"You're on," Charlie said. Bill shook his head but continued on to reveal who wins the bet.

**Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.**

**"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir," he said greasily.**

"You tricked Peeves, I don't believe it." Charlie said.

"My galleons please," Sirius said. Charlie handed over the galleons grudgingly.

**"My mistake, my mistake — I didn't see you — of course I didn't, you're invisible — forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."**

**"I have business here, Peeves," croaked Cris. "Stay away from this place tonight."**

**"I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you."**

**And he scooted off. **

"You are truly a marauder's daughter." Sirius said with a smile.

"We are so getting you to come pranking with us." Fred said.

"It is our new mission." George said.

**"Brilliant, Cris!" whispered Ron.**

**A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar.**

**"Well, there you are," Cris said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy."**

**Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Cris turned to the other two. **

**"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," she said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now." **

"Did you really think that they would turn back and leave you to do this all by yourself?" Lily asked. Cris blushed and the others laughed.

**"Don't be stupid," said Ron.**

**"We're coming," said Hermione.**

**Cris pushed the door open.**

**As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.**

**"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.**

**"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."**

**"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Cris. "Well, here goes…"**

**She put Hagrid's flute to her lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Cris hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased — it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.**

The people shook their heads, this big vicious three headed dog feel asleep to music.

**"Keep playing," Ron warned Cris as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads. "I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"**

**"No, I don't!"**

"They seriously just need to hook up already." Cris muttered. The twins nodded agreeing that they just needed to admit their feelings for each other.

**"All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.**

**"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.**

**"Nothing — just black — there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."**

**Cris, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at herself.**

**"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."**

**Cris handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.**

**Cris climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.**

**She lowered herself through the hole until she was hanging on by her fingertips. **

Lily was gripping James' arm in a vice like grip.

**Then she looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?" **

"You should have done that in the first place." McGonagall said.

**"Right," said Ron.**

**"See you in a minute, I hope…"**

**And Cris let go. Cold, damp air rushed past her as she fell down, down, down and —**

**FLUMP. **

"Flump?" Sirius asked.

"Yep, flump," Cris said.

"It must be some sort of plant." Remus said. He was wondering what kind of plant it was now.

**With a funny, muffled sort of thump she landed on something soft. She sat up and felt around, her eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though she was sitting on some sort of plant. **

"It's probably a deadly plant." Lily said.

"It is, it's Professor Sprout's protection." McGonagall said.

**"It's okay!" she called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!"**

**Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Cris.**

**"What's this stuff?" were his first words. **

**"Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!"**

**The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Cris' other side.**

**"We must be miles under the school," she said.**

**"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.**

**"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!"**

**She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Cris and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing. **

Sirius got up and grabbed Cris off of the twins' laps and made her sit on his lap. Cris sighed and just sat and bared it.

**Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as Bella and Ron fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them. **

Remus grabbed Cris hand and squeezed. Cris shook her but sat there and let them be protective.

**"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!"**

**"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.**

Mrs. Weasley jumped up to grab her youngest son but Charlie got him first.

"Charlie, let me go," Ron said. Charlie shook his head and held on tighter but not too tight. Ron shook his head at his dragon handler brother and just sat there.

**"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.**

**"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Cris gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around her chest. **

Lily whimpered and clutched onto James again. James was sitting there pale and hoping that his baby girl got out of this unharmed while staring at his daughter in his best friends' lap.

**"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare… what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp."**

**"So light a fire!" Cris choked.**

**"Yes — of course — but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.**

"Hermione, are you feeling all right?" Ginny asked.

"I was still getting used to the fact that I didn't have to do everything the Muggle way." Hermione said.

"It does take a while." Lily said with a slight smile.

**"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"**

**"Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two friends felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.**

**"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Cris as she joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off her face.**

**"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Cris doesn't lose her head in a crisis — 'there's no wood,' honestly."**

"Don't say anything," Hermione glared at all the people under thirty-five. They nodded and Bill continued reading.

**"This way," said Cris, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.**

**All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Cris was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, she remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon — Norbert had been bad enough… **

"There wasn't a dragon was there?" Remus asked.

"No, it was something much easier to deal with." Cris said with a smile.

**"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.**

**Cris listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.**

**"Do you think it's a ghost?"**

**"I don't know… sounds like wings to me."**

**"There's light ahead — I can see something moving."**

**They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.**

**"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.**

**"Probably," said Cris. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once… well, there's no other choice… I'll run." **

"No, I don't think that would work very well." Moony said.

"We know," the trio said.

**She took a deep breath, covered her face with her arms, and sprinted across the room. She expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at her any second, but nothing happened. She reached the door untouched. She pulled the handle, but it was locked.**

**The other two followed her. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm.**

"That won't work," McGonagall said.

"We know that now, it was an option we had to get out of the way." Cris said with a shrug.

**"Now what?" said Ron.**

**"These birds… they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione.**

**They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering —glittering?**

**"They're not birds!" Cris said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys — look carefully. So that must mean…" she looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "… yes — look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"**

**"But there are hundreds of them!"**

**Ron examined the lock on the door.**

**"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle."**

"You guys have good teamwork for three eleven year olds." Charlie said. Ron had escaped from his lap and sat back next to Hermione.

"I wouldn't imagine any other eleven year olds doing that." Sirius said with a smile. He still held Cris in his lap and was not letting her go for a while.

"It's amazing what friends will do for each other." Luna said with a dazed smile.

**They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.**

**Not for nothing, though, was Cris the youngest Seeker in a century. She had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, she noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.**

**"That one!" she called to the others. "That big one — there — no, there — with bright blue wings — the feathers are all crumpled on one side."**

**Ron went speeding in the direction that Cris was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.**

**"We've got to close in on it!" Cris called, not taking her eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above — Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!" **

"I hope you make team captain next year." Sirius said with a smile.

"We shall see won't we, Siri." Cris said with a grin.

**Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Cris streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Cris leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber.**

**They landed quickly, and Cris ran to the door, the key struggling in her hand. She rammed it into the lock and turned – it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice. **

"That means that whoever is after it is already there." James said.

"Is it too much to ask that you go back?" Lily asked. They looked at her and she sighed.

**"Ready?" Cris asked the other two, her hand on the door handle. They nodded. She pulled the door open.**

**The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.**

**They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard,**

"That has to be McGonagall's protection," Remus said.

"It's a good thing that Ron is with you." Bill said.

"Nobody has been able to beat him sense he was seven and the only one to give him a challenge is dad." Charlie said.

**behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Cris, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces. **

"That is just a little bit creepy." Padfoot said.

**"Now what do we do?" Cris whispered.**

**"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."**

**Behind the white pieces they could see another door.**

**"How?" said Hermione nervously.**

**"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."**

**He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.**

**"Do we — er — have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.**

**"This needs thinking about…" he said, "I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces…"**

**Cris and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess —"**

**"We're not offended," said Cris quickly. "Just tell us what to do."**

**"Well, Cris, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle."**

**"What about you?"**

**"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.**

**The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Cris, Ron, and Hermione took. **

Mrs. Weasley now jumped up and went over to Ron and held him tight. James and Lily did the same as well but just sat next to Sirius making sure their daughter was really there and annoyed.

**"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes… look…"**

**A white pawn had moved forward two squares.**

**Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Cris' knees were trembling. What if they lost?**

"You are such a pessimist." Ron said shaking his head with a fond smile but still upset about the babying.

**"Cris — move diagonally four squares to the right."**

**Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.**

**"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."**

**Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Cris and Hermione were in danger. **

Now Lily grabbed Cris' other arm and James held the hand on that arm.

"I feel like I'm about to be sacrificed." Cris muttered.

"You look like it too." Padfoot said. Cris glared at him which shut him up.

**He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.**

**"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think — let me think…"**

**The white queen turned her blank face toward him.**

**"Yes…" said Ron softly, "It's the only way… I've got to be taken.**

"NO!" the Weasley's yelled even Percy.

"I'm fine, I made it out alright." Ron said but it was muffled as he was being held tightly to his mother.

**"NO!" Cris and Hermione shouted.**

**"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I make my move and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Cris!" **

**"But —"**

**"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"**

**"Ron —"**

**"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"**

**There was no alternative. **

"How bad was it?" Charlie asked in a monotone voice.

"Not as bad as Cris," Ron said. That caused the four people holding onto his friend to grip her tighter.

"Thanks Ron, some friend you are." Cris mumbled.

**"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go — now, don't hang around once you've won."**

**He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor —**

**Hermione screamed but stayed on her square — the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.**

**Shaking, Cris moved three spaces to the left.**

**The white king took off his crown and threw it at Cris' feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Bella and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.**

"You didn't stay to make sure that he was okay?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"No, we had to keep moving. What if the chess board reset itself? We would be stuck there." Hermione said.

**"What if he's —?"**

**"He'll be all right," said Cris, trying to convince herself. "What do you reckon's next?"**

**"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's."**

**They had reached another door.**

**"All right?" Cris whispered.**

**"Go on."**

**Cris pushed it open.**

**A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head. **

"Thank god, one troll was enough." Mrs. Weasley said.

**"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Cris whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."**

**She pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.**

**"Snape's," said Cris. "What do we have to do?"**

**They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.**

**"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Cris looked over her shoulder to read it:**

_**Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,**_

_**Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,**_

_**One among us seven will let you move ahead,**_

_**Another will transport the drinker back instead,**_

_**Two among our number hold only nettle wine,**_

_**Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.**_

_**Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,**_

_**To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:**_

_**First, however slyly the poison tries to hide**_

_**You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;**_

_**Second, different are those who stand at either end,**_

_**But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;**_

_**Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,**_

_**Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;**_

_**Fourth, the second left and the second on the right**_

_**Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.**_

"Great a riddle, I hate riddles." Tonks said.

"I would be stuck, that's for sure." Sirius said.

"I would need the bottles in front of me," Lily, Moony, Remus, Percy and Bill said.

**Hermione let out a great sigh and Cris, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing she felt like doing.**

**"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic — it's logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic; they'd be stuck in here forever."**

**"But so will we, won't we?"**

**"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple." **

"How fast did Granger work it out?" Snape asked.

"About five minutes or so," Cris said.

**"But how do we know which to drink?"**

**"Give me a minute."**

**Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.**

**"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone."**

**Cris looked at the tiny bottle.**

**"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."**

"You're going alone?" Lily asked. Cris nodded and the four people tightened their grips on the girl in Sirius' lap.

**They looked at each other.**

**"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"**

**Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.**

**"You drink that," said Cris. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy — go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really." **

"You might be able to now; you did escape a duel alive with Voldemort." Fred said.

"But at eleven, all I would be able to do is dodge until I get hit with some random spell." Cris said with a shrug.

**"But Cris — what if You-Know-Who's with him?"**

**"Well — I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Cris, pointing at her scar. "I might get lucky again."**

"You're relying on luck?" Remus asked.

"It works a lot of the time." Cris said.

**Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Cris and threw her arms around her.**

**"Hermione!"**

**"Cris — you're a great witch, you know."**

**"I'm not as good as you," said Cris, very embarrassed, as she let go of her.**

**"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Cris —be careful! " **

"You are great friends," Lily said with a smile.

"Hey, a girl has got to have her girlfriends; besides, I can't talk to Ron about boys unless he has something he wants to say to everyone." Cris said with a smile. Ron sputtered and glared at Cris.

"I am straight Cris!" Ron said his face red.

"I know, I just like teasing you, besides you talk in your sleep." Cris said. This caused his brothers and the marauders to laugh as Ron blushed brightly. Once everyone was calm Bill continued to read.

**"You drink first," said Cris. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"**

**"Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered.**

**"It's not poison?" said Cris anxiously.**

**"No — but it's like ice."**

**"Quick, go, before it wears off."**

**"Good luck — take care."**

**"GO!"**

**Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.**

**Cris took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. She turned to face the black flames.**

**"Here I come," she said, and she drained the little bottle in one gulp.**

**It was indeed as though ice was flooding her body. She put the bottle down and walked forward; she braced herself, saw the black flames licking her body, but couldn't feel them — for a moment she could see nothing but dark fire — then she was on the other side, in the last chamber.**

**There was already someone there — but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.**

"Who was it?" the twins asked.

"You'll find out next chapter." The trio said.

"You three are mean." The twins said.

"Mom, you think you can handle reading?" Bill asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley said taking the book. She opened it to the next chapter and took a deep breath before continuing.

**Author's Note:**

**Couple Vote so far:**

**Sirius/oc Robin Lupin (6)**

**Ginny/Draco (4)**

**Ginny/Neville (7)**

**Ginny/Seamus (3)**

**Ginny/Dean**

**Ginny/Sirius**

**Neville/Luna (5)**

**Sirius/Marlene (1)**

**Please keep voting! I will pick at the start of the next book!**


	19. Chapter 18: Man With Two Faces

"**Chapter Eighteen: The Man With Two Faces," **read Mrs. Weasley.

"What does that mean?" Fred asked.

"You'll see," Cris mumbled.

**It was Quirrell.**

"Quirrell? The scaredy cat Dark Arts Teacher?" George asked with wide eyes.

"Yep, the right faker he is." Cris said.

"Damn, he's a good actor then." Sirius said.

"No kidding, he had everyone fooled." Hermione said.

**"You!" gasped Cris.**

**Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.**

**"Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."**

**"But I thought — Snape —"**

**"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat.**

Some people chuckled a little bit.

**Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?" **

"I can't believe the stutter was a fake." George said.

"It was so annoying." Ron said.

**Cris couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.**

**"But Snape tried to kill me!"**

**"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger**

"He does know that it was me," Hermione said.

"Don't worry; Voldemort probably doesn't remember that it was you." Cris said. Hermione gave her a smile and Mrs. Weasley continued reading.

**accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter curse, trying to save you." **

"Thank you," Lily said smiling at her once best friend.

**"Snape was trying to save me?"**

**"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really… he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching.**

**All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular… and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight." **

"No, you will not touch her." Sirius growled.

"It's okay Siri, I made it out alive." Cris said hugging Sirius, well putting her head on his shoulder since her arms were being held by a worried Remus and her frantic parents.

**Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Cris. **

Cris' arms were being held so tight that she kind of whimpered in pain so they loosened up some.

**"You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."**

**"You let the troll in?"**

**"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls — you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? **

Everyone shuddered.

**Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off — and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. **

"Poor you, everything isn't going your way." Tonks said.

**"Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."**

**It was only then that Cris realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised. **

"What's it doing down there?" Ron asked.

"It's Dumbledore's protection, doofus." Hermione said.

"Hey," Ron said.

**"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this… but he's in London… I'll be far away by the time he gets back…"**

**All Cris could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror. **

"Good, keep him talking." Moody growled.

**"I saw you and Snape in the forest —" she blurted out.**

**"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me — as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…"**

**Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.**

**"I see the Stone… I'm presenting it to my master… but where is it?"**

**Cris struggled against the ropes binding her, but they didn't give. She had to keep Quirrell from giving her whole attention to the mirror.**

**"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."**

**"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead." **

"At least there's that." Cris muttered.

**"But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing — I thought Snape was threatening you…"**

**For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.**

**"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions — he is a great wizard and I am weak —" **

"You are weak but Voldemort isn't a great wizard, he's just a murderer." Cris muttered.

"It'll be okay, we'll change everything." Lily muttered. Cris nodded slightly and cuddled up to her godfather.

**"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Cris gasped.**

"He was at Hogwarts!" The adults yelled. All the rest of the room paled, they were so close to him that year.

**"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly.**

Both Remus' paled, "It's not possible," Remus whispered. Moony nodded along with him.

"What's not possible?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing, let's just hope I'm wrong." Remus said.

**"I met him when I travelled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it… **

**Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me… decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…" **

"He was the one who broke into Gringotts." Bill muttered. Cris nodded and Percy paled.

**Quirrell's voice trailed away. Cris was remembering her trip to Diagon Alley — how could she have been so stupid? She'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron. **

"Don't be too hard on yourself, not everyone can get it right all the time." Remus said. Cris gave her uncle a small smile and Mrs. Weasley continued reading.

**Quirrell cursed under his breath. **

"You shouldn't be cursing." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Um Molly, he's working for Voldemort, I don't think he gives a rats ass about it." Sirius said. Molly nodded but glared at him for cursing as well.

**"I don't understand… is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"**

**Cris' mind was racing.**

**What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, she thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it — **

"You'd make a brilliant Auror." Moody growled. Cris looked over at the scared Auror.

"You've told me once before, but it wasn't really you, everyone just thought that it was." Cris said. Moody gave her a small smile before letting it go from his face.

"Don't fret over it, nobody could have known that it wasn't Moody, the only mistake he made was at the end." McGonagall said.

**which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?**

**She tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around her ankles were too tight: she tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored her. He was still talking to himself.**

**"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"**

**And to Cris' horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.**

**"Use the girl… Use the girl…"**

"Don't use her!" Sirius, Remus, Lily and James said.

**Quirrell rounded on Cris.**

**"Yes — Potter — come here."**

**He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Cris fell off. Cris got slowly to her feet.**

**"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."**

**Cris walked toward him.**

**I must lie, she thought desperately. I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.**

"You can't lie to the Dark Lord if he is there." Snape said.

"I didn't know that then, but I do now." Cris said.

**Quirrell moved close behind her. Cris breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban.**

**She closed her eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again.**

**She saw her reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. **

"Who wouldn't be?" Ron asked.

**But a moment later, the reflection smiled at her. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket — and as it did so, Cris felt something heavy drop into her real pocket. Somehow — incredibly —she'd gotten the Stone. **

"How did that happen?" everyone asked.

"It'll explain towards the end." Cris said with a soft smile to Dumbledore.

**"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"**

**Cris screwed up her courage. **

"That might have taken a while." Ginny said with a smile. Cris gave the red head a small glare but with a grin as well.

**"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," she invented. "I — I've won the house cup for Gryffindor." **

"Almost believable." Sirius said.

"Sorry, I suck at lying." Cris said.

"Unless it's about your well-being then you are a good liar even if we don't believe you." Ron said.

"Then it shall be our duty as boyfriends to teach her to lie better." The twins said with a smile.

**Quirrell cursed again.**

**"Get out of the way," he said. As Cris moved aside, she felt the Philosopher's Stone against her leg. Dare she make a break for it?**

"That'll be a bit obvious." Remus said.

"I figured that out." Cris said with a grin.

**But she hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.**

**"She lies… She lies…"**

**"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"**

**The high voice spoke again.**

**"Let me speak to her… face-to-face…" **

"He's there," Mr. Weasley said with horror written on his face.

**"Master, you are not strong enough!"**

**"I have strength enough… for this…"**

**Cris felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting her to the spot. She couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, she watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.**

**Cris would have screamed, but she couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Cris had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake. **

"Oh my god," muttered most everyone in the room. All of them pale, even Percy was wide eyed.

"He's not dead?" Percy asked.

"He never was, he was just lying low for the right time to come out of hiding." Cris said.

**"Cristal Potter…" it whispered.**

"So you're telling me that at Christmas," Fred said.

"When we enchanted those snowballs," George said.

"That they were bouncing off of Voldemort's face?" they asked together. Cris nodded and the twins looked at each other with amusement apparent in their blue eyes.

"I can't believe that they did that." Mrs. Weasley said.

"It's the twins mum, what can you expect?" Bill asked.

**Cris tried to take a step backward but her legs wouldn't move.**

**"Voldemort," she whispered.**

"You said it to his face," Ron said shaking his head.

"It would be even better if I called him by his real name." Cris said. Ron nodded with a smile on his face as well.

**"You see what I've become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor… I have form only when I can share another's body… but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… like a mere parasite." **

"He admits it!" Padfoot shouted.

"Shut up, Padfoot." Remus and Moony said.

**Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks… you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest… and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own… Now… why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"**

**So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Cris' legs. She stumbled backward.**

**"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Why suffer a horrific death when you can join me and live… or you'll meet the same end as your parents… They died begging me for mercy…"**

"How dare he," Sirius snarled. Both Remus' were growling, the wolf apparent on both of their faces.

"I would never beg for mercy." Lily and James snarled.

**"NEVER!"**

"Good girl," Sirius said kissing her forehead.

**"Ha, bravery, your parents had it too, tell me Cris, would you like to see your mother and father again? Together we can bring them back all I asked is for something in return," Cris' hand fell near the pocket where she knew the stone lay. "That's it," the face said smiling. "There is no good and evil there is only power and those too weak to seek it. Together we can do extraordinary things, just give me the stone," **

**Could he really bring her parents back? Leave the Dursley's? She remembered there smiling faces in the mirror. **

"Don't do it, he's just tricking you." Remus said. Cris smiled up at him.

**She could have that for real… but at what price? Would it be worth it? Doom the world. Doom her new friends, Ron and Hermione… **

"Good, think of them, nobody can bring the dead back to life." Moody said. Cris just nodded and buried her head into Sirius' neck and shoulder.

**Behind Voldemort her parents were back again shaking their heads. Dumbledore said no spell could reawaken the dead, he was lying. **

**"LIAR!" Cris shouted suddenly.**

A lot of people let out sighs of relief that they didn't know that they were holding.

**Quirrell was walking backward at her, so that Voldemort could still see her. The evil face was still smiling. **

"That was really creepy," Cris mumbled.

"I bet it was," Sirius said.

**"How touching…" it hissed. "I always value bravery… Yes, girl, your parents were brave… I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight… but your mother needn't have died… she was trying to protect you… Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."**

**"NEVER!"**

James squeezed Cris' hand lightly, silently letting her know that he was proud of her.

**Cris sprang toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HER!" and the next second, Cris felt Quirrell's hand close on her wrist. At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Cris' scar; her head felt as though it was about to split in two;**

"You might want to get used to it, it becomes more frequent after book four." Cris said.

**she yelled, struggling with all her might, and to her surprise, Quirrell let go of her.**

**The pain in her head lessened — she looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers — they were blistering before his eyes. **

"What did you do?" Remus asked.

"All I did was touch him." Cris said.

"Then how did that happen?" Ron asked.

"It'll be explained, I'm sure." Dumbledore said.

**"Seize her! SEIZE HER!" shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Cris clean off her feet landing on top of her, both hands around Cris' neck **

Cris could hear some growling coming from Sirius and Remus. So Cris slightly squeezed Remus' hand and snuggled closer to Sirius to let them know that she is fine.

— **Cris' scar was almost blinding her with pain, yet she could see Quirrell howling in agony.**

**"Master, I cannot hold her — my hands — my hands!"**

**And Quirrell, though pinning Cris to the ground with his knees, let go of her neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms — Cris could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny. **

"Well, nothing is happening now, so how did you do that then?" Neville asked.

"The only reason that happened then is because that Quirrell had Voldemort in him, as long as you don't have him in you I couldn't burn you. Now though, that won't matter because he has my blood." Cris said.

**"Then kill her, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort.**

**Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Cris, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face —**

**"AAAARGH!"**

**Quirrell rolled off her, his face blistering, too, and then Cris knew: Quirrell couldn't touch her bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain — her only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse.**

**Cris jumped to her feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as she could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Cris off — the pain in Cris' head was building — she couldn't see — she could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL HER! KILL HER!" and other voices, maybe in Cris' own head, crying, "Cris! Cris!" **

"What's going on?" Lily asked worriedly.

"It'll be explained mum," Cris said.

**She felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from her grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down… down… down… **

"How long were you out?" Sirius asked.

"Three days." Cris said as if it was nothing.

"Three days of waiting for you to wake up, you were all pale and looked dead." Hermione said. This caused everyone to stare wide eyed at Cris.

"I bet she will do it again, and next time she does it it'll be fake and be carried by someone we trust." Ron said. Cris and Hermione looked at each other and nodded. Hermione then started scribbling something down on a piece of parchment.

**Something gold was glinting just above her. The Snitch! **

"You are one strange girl," Moony said.

"No one has ever accused me of being normal." Cris said with a smile.

**She tried to catch it, but her arms were too heavy.**

**She blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. **

**How strange.**

**She blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above her. **

"You thought that Dumbledore was a snitch?" Ron asked.

"All I could see was gold and it was the first thing I came up with." Cris said.

**"Good afternoon, Cris," said Dumbledore.**

**Cris stared at him. Then she remembered: "Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick —"**

**"Calm yourself, dear girl, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore **

**"Quirrell does not have the Stone."**

**"Then who does? Sir, I —"**

**"Cris, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out."**

"That would be funny to see," James said. The four surrounding Cris slowly let go and Cris was now sitting comfortingly on Sirius' lap.

**Cris swallowed and looked around her. She realized she must be in the hospital wing. She was lying in a bed with white linen sheets, and next to her was a table piled high with what looked like half the sweet shop. **

"It was almost the whole shop," Fred said.

**"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. **

"So that's were that went to." Ginny said with a smile.

"You actually blew up a toilet?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Of course they did Molly, you don't give pranksters ideas." Remus said.

**No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it." **

"Ah," the twins whined. Cris smiled and jumped over to their laps again and kissed the both of them.

**"How long have I been in here?"**

**"Three days. Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried." **

"Why did say my name but not Hermione's?" Ron asked.

"Think about it for a second Ron, how many Weasley's were at Hogwarts in our first year?" Cris asked. Realization dawned on Ron's face which caused everyone to laugh.

**"But sir, the Stone —"**

**"I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."**

**"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?"**

**"We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you." **

"Thank you," said a lot of the adults.

**"It was you."**

**"I feared I might be too late."**

**"You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer –"**

"I think he meant you." Sirius said.

"I got that," Cris mumbled her face red.

**"Not the Stone, girl, you — the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."**

**"Destroyed?" said Cris blankly. "But your friend — Nicolas Flamel —"**

**"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. **

**"You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."**

**"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"**

**"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."**

**Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Cris' face.**

**"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. **

"That is one way to describe it." Lily said.

"Yep," the trio said.

**After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." **

"That is true," Remus said.

**Cris lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.**

**"Sir?" said Cris. "I've been thinking… sir — even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who —"**

**"Call him Voldemort, Cris. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."**

"So that's where you got it from." Ron said.

"What, you think I made it up myself? I'm not that creative." Cris said. Everyone chuckled at that so Mrs. Weasley continued reading.

**"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"**

**"No, Cris, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share… not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. **

Cris noticed that Malfoy pale slightly. She wondered if he was considering joining his father as a Death Eater.

**Nevertheless, Cris, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time — and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power." **

**Cris nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made her head hurt. Then she said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me… things I want to know the truth about…" **

**"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie." **

"Will you tell me now, sir?" Cris asked Dumbledore.

"Perhaps, or maybe it'll come up sometime during this year's book." Dumbledore said. Cris nodded grudgingly but accepted the answer all the same.

**"Well… Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"**

**Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.**

**"Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day… put it from your mind for now, Cris. When you are older… I know you hate to hear this… when you are ready, you will know."**

**And Cris knew it would be no good to argue.**

**"But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?" **

"And that is the million galleon question." Sirius said.

**"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.**

**It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."**

**Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Cris time to dry her eyes on the sheet. **

Cris buried her face in Fred's shoulder as the twins held her to them. Mrs. Weasley continued reading.

**When she had found her voice again, Cris said, "And the invisibility cloak — do you know who sent it to me?"**

**"Ah — your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things… your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here." **

"Now that isn't exactly true, but we did use it for that." James said.

"The only reason we went down into the kitchens was because Padfoot has a black hole for a stomach." Moony said. Padfoot huffed and crossed his arms while Sirius rubbed the back of his head and through his shoulder length hair.

"It's been a while hasn't," Sirius said sadly. Remus looked at his remaining friend sadly before clapping him on the shoulder.

**"And there's something else…"**

**"Fire away."**

**"Quirrell said Snape —"**

**"Professor Snape, Cris."**

**"Yes, him — Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?"**

**"Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."**

**"What?"**

**"He saved his life."**

Recognition showed in James' face and Padfoot and Sirius both looked guilty. Both Remus' looked kind of mad while Snape looked pale. The others looked confused but left it at that for now.

**"What?"**

**"Yes…" said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt… I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace…" **

"Interesting way to put it." James said.

"Well, it's been that way," Cris said with a shrug.

**Cris tried to understand this but it made her head pound, so she stopped. **

"Your body does the most strangest things," Luna said dreamily. When she spoke it made a lot of the people jump, they had forgotten that she was there.

**"And sir, there's one more thing…"**

**"Just the one?"**

Everyone chuckled, which made Cris turn red again.

**"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?"**

**"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone — find it, but not use it — would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes… Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one, **

"You've had worse luck than I have." George said.

**and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them — but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?" **

"Nope, go for either the red or the blue." Cris said.

"I will go for those next time Miss Potter." Dumbledore said.

**He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"**

**Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict.**

**"Just five minutes," Cris pleaded.**

**"Absolutely not."**

**"You let Professor Dumbledore in…"**

**"Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need rest."**

**"I am resting, look, lying down and everything. **

"That is something I had said at one time." James said with a smile. Cris smiled over at her father.

**Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey…"**

**"Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes only."**

**And she let Ron and Hermione in.**

**"Cris!"**

**Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around her again, but Cris was glad she held herself in as her head was still very sore. **

"Thanks for that, but you know I'm not fragile right?" Cris asked.

"We know, you just really looked like it still." Hermione said. Cris stared at her than gave her a small smile.

**"Oh, Cris, we were sure you were going to — Dumbledore was so worried —" **

**"The whole school's talking about it," said Ron. "What really happened?"**

**It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. **

"They usually are," the trio said.

"We can't wait to read what actually happened, you give us so little details." Ginny said. But then she grew pale at what will be happening in the second book.

**Cris told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when Cris told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud.**

**"So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"**

**"That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that — what was it? — 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'"**

**"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was. **

"Most people are," Sirius said.

**"So what happened to you two?" said Cris.**

**"Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round — that took a while — and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall — he already knew — he just said, Cris' gone after him, hasn't she?' and hurtled off to the third floor."**

**"D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"**

"You better not have," growled Sirius, Remus, Lily, James and Mrs. Weasley.

**"Well, " Hermione exploded, "if he did — I mean to say that's terrible — you could have been killed."**

**"No, it isn't," said Cris thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could…"**

"I assure you, I had no idea that you three knew about the stone until we met in the hall." Dumbledore said. That seemed to calm a lot of people down so Mrs. Weasley kept reading.

**"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course — you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you — but the food'll be good."**

**At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.**

**"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT" she said firmly.**

**After a good night's sleep, Cris felt nearly back to normal.**

**"I want to go to the feast," she told Madam Pomfrey as she straightened her many sweet boxes. "I can, can't I?"**

**"Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go," she said stiffly, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realize how risky feasts could be. **

**"And you have another visitor."**

**"Oh, good," said Cris. "Who is it?"**

**Hagrid sidled through the door as she spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Cris, took one look at her, and burst into tears. **

"Oh Hagrid," Lily said fondly.

"He's a great friend." Cris said with a big smile.

**"It's — all — my — ruddy — fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. "I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! **

"Like that will happen," George said.

**I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!"**

"Not all Muggles are bad, just your relatives are." Bill said.

**"Hagrid!" said Cris, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard. "Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him."**

**"Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!"**

**"VOLDEMORT!" Cris bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying.**

"Well that is one way to stop him crying." James said with a chuckle.

**"I've met him and I'm calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads…" **

"Chocolate helps a lot of things," Remus said. The marauders laughed as well as Cris.

**Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present."**

**"It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Cris anxiously, and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.**

**"Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'course, he shoulda sacked me instead — anyway, got yeh this…"**

**It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Cris opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at her from every page were her mother and father.**

"So that's why Hagrid asked for pictures." Remus said with a smile.

"They were yours?" Cris asked.

"Some, I'm pretty sure that he got some from one of Lily's remaining friends." Remus said.

"Who?" Lily asked with hoped filled eyes.

"Hestia and Emmeline." Remus said.

"Good their still alive," Lily said with a sigh of relief but sad that he didn't mention Alice at all.

**"Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos… knew yeh didn' have any… d'yeh like it?"**

**Cris couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood.**

**Cris made her way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. She had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving her one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.**

**When Cris walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. She slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at her. **

"Get used to that as well." Cris said.

**Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.**

**"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts… **

Everyone chuckled a bit at that.

**"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."**

**A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Cris could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight. **

"I agree with you there mate," Ron said with a glare over to the blonde Slytherin.

**"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."**

**The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.**

**"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes…**

**"First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley…"**

**Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.**

Everyone laughed and Ron blushed, almost the exact shade as was described in the book.

**"… for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."**

**Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"**

**At last there was silence again.**

**"Second — to Miss Hermione Granger… for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."**

"Nice pun," Cris said with a smile.

"I try my best," Dumbledore chuckled.

**Hermione buried her face in her arms; Cris strongly suspected she had burst into tears. **

"Not exactly, just hiding." Hermione said with a slight blush.

"Not use to the attention, I see." Sirius said.

"You get used to it by being friends with Cris." Ron said.

"Sadly," Cris mumbled.

**Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves — they were a hundred points up.**

**"Third — to Miss Cristal Potter…" said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "… for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."**

**The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points — exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup — if only Dumbledore had given Cris just one more point.**

**Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.**

**"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom." **

Neville blushed and looked away while James clapped him on the shoulder. Everyone in the room were now cheering but quieted down to let Mrs. Weasley continue reading.

**Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Cris, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Cris, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him. **

This caused a lot of people to laugh while the Malfoy in the room sneered at the lot of them.

**"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration." **

**He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He caught Cris' eye and Cris knew at once that Snape's feelings toward her hadn't changed one jot. This didn't worry Cris. It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts.**

"You had to jinx it didn't you?" Hermione asked.

"Sorry," Cris said with a sheepish smile.

**It was the best evening of Cris' life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls… she would never, ever forget tonight.**

"It did seem too good to be true, huh?" George asked. Cris nodded her head and then laid it on his shoulder.

**Cris had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both she and Ron passed with good marks, (hers manly due to the isolation after Norbert) **

"I passed from then on, with Hermione's help of course." Cris said.

"Thank you Hermione, you are a true friend." Lily said. This caused Hermione blush slightly and Mrs. Weasley to continue reading.

**; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years.**

**Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.**

**And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.**

Cris sighed; she knew what was going to come next.

**It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles. **

"Now wouldn't that be a sight," George said with a grin.

"That would be a disaster!" Moody growled. The twins shut up and let their mum continue reading.

**"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "both of you — I'll send you an owl."**

**"Thanks," said Cris, "I'll need something to look forward to." People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:**

**"Bye, Cris!"**

**"See you, Potter!"**

**"Still famous," said Ron, grinning at her.**

"I wish I wasn't," Cris muttered so only the twins could hear her. Their response was to hug her to them to give her comfort.

**"Not where I'm going, I promise you," said Cris.**

**She, Ron, and Hermione passed through the gateway together. "There she is, Mum, there she is, look!" **

"It's little Ginny," Sirius said with a smile. Ginny glared at the escaped convict who sat back with a slight cringe and was mumbling something.

**It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.**

**"Cristal Potter!" she squealed. "Look, Mum! I can see —"**

**"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point."**

**Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.**

**"Busy year?" she said.**

**"Very," said Cris. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley."**

"I will never know how you got any manners living with my sister, but I am thankful that you do." Lily said. Cris smiled at her mom and Mrs. Weasley continued reading with a smile on her face.

**"Oh, it was nothing, dear."**

**"Ready, are you?"**

**It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Cris, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Cris.**

"Did you at least have some fun?" Fred asked.

"For the first couple of weeks, yeah." Cris said.

**"You must be Cris' family!" said Mrs. Weasley.**

**"In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, girl, we haven't got all day." He walked away.**

**Cris hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.**

**"See you over the summer, then."**

**"Hope you have — er — a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant. **

"He worse than I thought, I'm sorry that you had to deal with that." Hermione said.

"It's nothing really, don't worry about it." Cris said.

"I won't have to if you're living with Sirius and Remus." Hermione said.

"And she will, right Professor?" Lily asked with a glare at the headmaster.

"That she will, Sirius' place is well protected as the Headquarters to the Order." Dumbledore said. Lily nodded gratefully and Mrs. Weasley said.

**"Oh, I will," said Cris, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over her face. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…"**

"You little marauder, you." Sirius said with a smile getting up and hugging his goddaughter to him and spinning around.

"Siri, put me down!" Cris yelled. Sirius did and the twins steadied her so she wouldn't fall.

"I think we should head to bed before we start the next book." McGonagall said. With that a lot of people yawned.

"Alright, everyone off to bed." Mrs. Weasley said as she sat down the first book. The book shimmered before it disappeared altogether.

"I guess that it's a good thing, wouldn't want the wrong people to get their hands on it." Moody said. The teachers nodded and everyone disappeared once more into the dorms on either sides of the room.


End file.
